Rory McIlroy goes into detail about his most disappointing shot at the 2024 DP World Championship

Rory McIlroy is currently one of the three co-leaders of the DP World Tour's season finale, the 2024 DP World Tour Championship. While he's tied at -12, McIlroy has had a somewhat inconsistent performance, missing a few chances to take the outright lead, particularly on the final hole.

In the post-round press conference, McIlroy, 35, acknowledged that his second shot on the 18th hole was the worst of the day. However, he explained that it was the most disappointing as the group in front was taking more time to get off the green.

"Yeah, it was. I sort of let it -- I was ready to hit, and then it just seemed like the group in front weren't really hurrying to get off the back of the green, and felt like I had to wait an extra two or three minutes for that. So I let that affect me a little bit and I came out of the 6-iron," McIlroy said.

The four-time major champion found the fairway with his tee shot and had 194 yards to the pin for his second shot. However, due to a slow group ahead, McIlroy had to wait an extra two to three minutes, which disrupted his momentum. The delay affected his swing, and his second shot landed in the bunker right of the green.

Rory McIlroy DP World Tour Championship 2024 - Day Three (Source: Getty)

McIlroy showcased his class and experience from the bunker, leaving himself with an 11-foot birdie putt. Unfortunately, the ball lipped out, denying him a birdie and a chance to take the solo lead. He ultimately carded a par to finish the round at -12.

"It's hard. That's always a hard bunker shot going towards the water there. Left myself in a good spot and hit a good putt. Just a little too firm on that one," he said.

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Rory McIlroy looking all set to claim the Race to Dubai title

Rory McIlroy is the favorite not just to win the DP World Tour Championship but also the season-long Race to Dubai. He is currently leading the rankings with 4,997 points, and no other golfer apart from Thriston Lawrence has the chance of getting past him.

Lawrence is around 1,700 points behind McIlroy, and he needs to register a victory this week to win the Race to Dubai trophy. However, this seems highly unlikely as the South African golfer is at -4, eight strokes behind the leader going into the final round.

McIlroy is scheduled to play in the final group of the 2024 DP World Tour Championship. He will tee off at 11:45 am local time (7:45 am GMT) along with Rasmus Hojgaard, who is also co-leading the event.