The DP World Tour on Tuesday announced the new Rory McIlroy Award, given to the first Grand Slam champion from Europe. The award will be introduced at the beginning of the 2026 season and will be given to the DP World Tour member with the best performance in the four major tournaments.
Players will compete for points in the Race to Dubai, with the player with the most cumulative points between the Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, and British Open ultimately winning the prize.
“It’s a great honor and a very humbling feeling to have something named after me that will go to future generations of players,” McIlroy said. “The DP World Tour was the starting point for my career so it certainly means a lot to me. I always loved playing there and of course I loved representing Europe and the Tour in the Ryder Cup.”
With his victory at the Masters, McIlroy became the sixth golfer in men’s professional golf history to win all four major tournaments, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. The Northern Irishman became part of an elite group when he donned the green jacket at Augusta National and did the same for the creation of the award.
McIlroy becomes the fifth player on the DP World Tour to win an award or trophy to his name, joining Seve Ballesteros (Player of the Year), Harry Vardon (Race to Dubai Trophy), Sir Henry Cotton (Rookie of the Year) and John Jacobs (Legends Tour Achievement Award).
“I’m very proud to be the first European to complete a career Grand Slam,” McIlroy said. “The Major represents the pinnacle of our sport and I hope that my success can inspire other DP World Tour members to pursue and achieve their dreams for years to come. I look forward to seeing who will be the first recipient of this new award in 2026. Presenting them with the trophy will be another very proud moment for me personally.”
McIlroy still has plenty of good golf left in him and could possibly hoist another major trophy, but at 36 years old he doesn’t deserve the award himself.
