Hot mics catch Rory McIlroy comment about Sir Nick Faldo
Rory McIlroy revealed it was 'nice to get passed Nick' as he finished his 2024 on a high note at the DP World Tour Championship.
Sir Nick Faldo was on the receiving end of a playful dig from Rory McIlroy in the immediate aftermath of his victory in Dubai.
McIlroy, 35, held off Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard on Sunday to win the season-ending DP World Tour Championship and clinch his sixth Race to Dubai title.
It represented the third year in succession that McIlroy has topped the Tour's season rankings.
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And it means that he has now drawn level with Seve Ballesteros' haul and is only two behind Colin Montgomerie.
The DP World Tour's communications team shared a behind-the-scenes video on Sunday evening that showed some heart-warming moments with his wife Erica, daughter Poppy and caddie Harry Diamond.
As he was presented with the silverware on the 18th green, McIlroy remarked to a tournament official it was 'crazy' that he's now won the Harry Vardon trophy six times.
He added: "Nice to get past Nick as well."
It's unclear what McIlroy is referring to, given Faldo won the order of merit twice (1983, 1992).
And the Englishman, now 67, won 30 times on the European Tour during his career compared to McIlroy's 18.
Overall, Faldo won 49 professional golf events (including six major championships) whereas McIlroy's exploits last week saw him land his 37th.
McIlroy is a four-time major champion.
Watch the video here:
"I still need to remember I won four times"
McIlroy was reduced to tears on Sunday.
The victory was his fourth of the season but he knows his 2024 will be remembered for what happened during the closing stages of the U.S. Open.
He made bogey on three of the final four holes of the at Pinehurst No.2 to allow Bryson DeChambeau to snatch the major for a second time when it looked as though he was going to end his 10-year wait for a major.
Still, McIlroy feels as though his achievements in 2024 were only bettered by Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.
He told reporters they both had 'career years' and he still has a lot to be proud of.
"I know how people are going to view my year, and I'm going to view it similarly, but I still need to remember I won four times and won a sixth Race to Dubai," he said.
"I accumulated a lot of big finishes and big performances.
"The two guys that had better years than me had career years. Xander won two majors and Scottie won a Players, a Masters and an Olympic gold medal.
McIlroy said that he believes he has at least a decade left of playing golf at the highest level.
"Who knows that the game of golf looks like in a few years time, but as long as the Race to Dubai is happening and there's an Order of Merit, I'm going to want to win it.
"As long as I'm healthy and feel I have the game to compete at the highest level, I'm going to try and get the best out of myself up until the point I feel like I'm no longer able to compete at the highest level, but I feel like that's a very long way away."
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