“I’m as complete a golfer as I feel I’ve ever been” - Rory McIlroy on winning the DP World Tour’s season-long title

Rory McIlroy is at the top of his game. The Irishman, who recently became the No.1 in Official Golf World Rankings, won his fourth Harry Vardon Trophy on Sunday (November 20). The golfer climbed to the top of the DP World Tour rankings for the first time since 2015.

McIlroy completed the achievement just months after winning the FedEx Cup, the Harry Vardon Trophy equivalent on the PGA Tour. The golfer won the European ranking title despite his fourth-place finish in the DP World Tour Championship.

Needless to say, the Irishman was overjoyed by the title win at the DP World Tour’s season-ending event on the Earth Course at the Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Following the achievement, Rory McIlroy stated that he felt 'complete' as a golfer. Speaking after the event in Dubai, the ace golfer said that he is looking forward to building on the position he is currently at.

The four-time major champion said, as quoted by Golf Digest:

“I’m as complete a golfer as I feel I’ve ever been. And hopefully, I can continue on that path. All I can really do is focus on not just keeping this level of golf going but trying to build on it and trying to see if there's any incremental improvements I can make going forward.”

He added:

“I feel like if my driving is not on one day, I feel like my putting will bail me out. I feel like if my putting is not on, my iron play will bail me out, and if my iron play is not on, my short game will. I used to rely very heavily on one or two aspects of the game, but now I feel like now I'm pretty efficient in all areas.”

The 33-year-old also assessed his on-course accomplishments in 2022 and said:

“That's been a huge thing this year. When you know that you're going to hole your fair share of putts, it takes pressure off your ball striking. You don't feel like you have to hit it quite so close."

"Then off the tee, you don't feel as much pressure to hit fairways, then the green to give yourself a chance. If you're a good putter, it feeds through the rest of your game. That’s how it has felt this year.”

It is pertinent to note that Rory McIlroy won his fourth Harry Vardon Trophy in only 10 events. The golfer set a new record as he claimed the title in 14 fewer starts than runner-up Ryan Fox.

While many claimed that the margin of the win showcased the golfer’s superiority, a few others stated it was due to the lack of LIV golfers on the field.

With his latest win, McIlroy became the second golfer since Henrik Stenson in 2013 to win the season-long points race on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour in the same year.

Rory McIlroy on 'room for improvement' in his game

Interestingly, Rory McIlroy stated that he could still improve on his game. Responding to queries on the same, the golfer said that there was 'room' for improvement” in certain areas of his game.

He explained:

“You can improve on everything. There are certain things that I can improve on. I still think there's room for improvement with my wedges. There's room for improvement in all aspects of my game, certain shots, different trajectories. I'll continue to just keep trying to improve on all of that.”

Rory McIlroy went on to state that he has his eyes set on the majors. The golfer said that he wished to break the drought like he did this weekend by winning the Harry Vardon Trophy after seven years.