Rory McIlroy has won the 2024 Seve Ballesteros Award after being voted Player of the Year by his peers on the DP World Tour for the fourth occasion.
The Player of the Year Award, named after the late, great Ballesteros, incorporates the former Golfer of the Year Award after the two accolades were combined in 2021 to become a single honour voted for by the DP World Tour’s members.
This accolade is one of several of the 35-year-old’s history-making achievements, having recently claimed his sixth Harry Vardon Trophy with his fourth worldwide victory in 2024 at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, adding to his Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and Wells Fargo Championship successes.
McIlroy was in imperious form on the 2024 Race to Dubai, recording seven top-five finishes in addition to his two wins in Dubai, as he equalled Ballesteros on six season-long rankings victories.
The Northern Irishman was presented with the trophy by one of Seve’s sons, Javier, who travelled to Dubai ahead of this week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic, won by his father more than 30 years ago, and by McIlroy on four occasions in 2009, 2015, 2023, and 2024.
McIlroy earned 46% of the votes cast by his fellow DP World Tour members, with Amgen Irish Open champion Rasmus Højgaard taking second place and Thriston Lawrence third. The four-time Major Champion was also voted Player of the Year in 2012, 2014, and 2015.
World Number Three McIlroy started the 2024 DP World Tour season with a record-breaking fourth Hero Dubai Desert Classic win as he successfully defended his title on a dramatic afternoon at Emirates Golf Club.
McIlroy came into the weekend ten shots back before a stunning third-round 63 put him into the final group on Sunday, where he went on to claim a famous victory in the desert.
He finished second at the U.S. Open in May, then recorded top-five finishes in the next three Rolex Series events: the Genesis Scottish Open, BMW PGA Championship, and Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. He also finished second at the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down, before claiming his third DP World Tour Championship win and 18th DP World Tour title.
McIlroy said: “The Seve Ballesteros Award is special because it’s voted on by your peers. They are the ones that have been out there on the course with you week-in, week-out, playing the same golf courses, competing. So to get their vote is very meaningful. I said to Javier, the legacy that his dad left on not just European golf but global golf will live on forever. Our whole motivation that we rally around on the Ryder Cup team is Seve, and we feel like we have an advantage because of that.”
Ballesteros added: “It’s special for me, my brother and sister to have the Player of the Year Award named after my dad, and it’s obviously special to present it to Rory. I think he’s one of the best players of all time in global golf.
“I told him when I presented him the trophy it was special to watch him at home win his sixth Race to Dubai title, and to speak the way he did about my dad after. I had a few tears in my eyes seeing him.” Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, added: “Rory’s remarkable consistency and success in 2024 is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Seve Ballesteros. To win this award for a fourth time, voted for by his fellow peers, is a reflection of the admiration and regard he holds across our sport. His performances last season, particularly his sixth Race to Dubai title and his victories around the world, were nothing short of exceptional.
“Having Javier Ballesteros present the award in Dubai adds a special significance, bringing the spirit of Seve to this moment.”
