DP World Tour inaugurates Rory McIlroy Award

The DP World Tour has inaugurated the Rory McIlroy Award that will honour the member who delivers the strongest overall performance across the four Major Championships in a season.

The annual trophy, which will be introduced for the 2026 season, was unveiled at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. It will go to the member who cumulatively earns the most Race to Dubai points from the Masters Tournament, US PGA Championship, US Open and The Open.

The award commemorates his historic achievement this year of becoming the first European winner of the Career Grand Slam. His historic achievement makes him the sixth golfer to win all four Major Championships after Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

McIlroy joined golf’s most exclusive club in April with an emotional victory in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National. He defeated his European Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose in a play-off to add the Green Jacket to the US Open he won in 2011, his two US PGA Championships in 2012 and 2014 and the Claret Jug he claimed at The 2014 Open Championship.

"To have something named after you, that will be presented to future generations of players, is a huge honour and it is very humbling," said McIlroy. "It certainly means a lot to me because the DP World Tour was where I started my career. I’ve always loved playing on it and, of course, representing Europe and the Tour in the Ryder Cup.

“I’m incredibly proud to be the first European to achieve the Career Grand Slam. The Majors represent the pinnacle of our sport, and I hope my success can inspire other DP World Tour members to chase and achieve their own dreams for years to come.

“I look forward to seeing who becomes the first recipient of this new award in 2026 and it will be another very proud moment for me personally to present the trophy to them.”

Guy Kinnings, the DP World Tour Chief Executive, said the "award will be a permanent legacy that we hope will inspire future generations of DP World Tour members aiming to follow in Rory’s footsteps on golf’s biggest stage".

The Rory McIlroy Award takes its place alongside the European Tour Group’s four other prestigious annual awards named after players who have made a hugely significant contribution to the sport of golf: Seve Ballesteros, Harry Vardon, Sir Henry Cotton and John Jacobs.  

The Seve Ballesteros Award is presented annually to the member voted Players’ Player of the Year and the Harry Vardon Trophy to the Race to Dubai winner, while the Rookie of the Year receives the Sir Henry Cotton Award. The John Jacobs Trophy, named after the European Tour’s Founding Father, is presented to the winner of the Legends Tour Order of Merit.
 
As this new award is named in his honour, McIlroy will be ineligible to win the trophy himself. Instead, it will be awarded to members seeking to replicate his achievements in golf’s four biggest individual tournaments.