Rory McIlroy just won his eighth Race to Dubai on Nov. 15, and the pro golfer is dedicating his first-place finish to someone very special.
After his win, McIlroy opened up about his father’s recent health issues. The DP World Tour posted an emotional interview with McIlroy on X. The golfer spoke about his father, sharing, “Yeah, he’s been in the hospital for the last two months. Underwent a huge operation at the end of September, and he’s recovering well, thankfully.”
The 37-year-old continued, with tears in his eyes, “But you know when I left to come here to the Middle East I went up to Cleveland to see him before I went and he said to me, ’Go win the Race to Dubai.’” And that’s exactly what McIlroy did!
He later shared a photo of himself on Instagram with his eighth trophy, writing, “Winning eight Race to Dubai titles was never something I imagined as a kid. To now be alongside Monty is very special. Proud to be a European player and proud to be part of the DP World Tour. This one’s for you, Dad.” Of course, McIlroy was referring to golfer Colin Montgomerie, who is the only other pro to have eight Race to Dubai victories under his belt.
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McIlroy went on to talk about his father during a DP World Tour press conference, saying, “My dad is a massive part of my life and has been my biggest supporter, is the one that got me into the game and the one that told me to follow my dreams and never give up and never think that you’re not good enough or you’re not big enough.”
The eight-time winner went into more detail about his father’s medical issues and subsequent surgery: “It’s obviously been difficult. He’s been living with this for a while, for 18 months, and it got to the point where the last resort was he needed a transplant. So he had a double lung transplant in September.” McIlroy reiterated, “Thankfully, the operation was a success, and he’s recovering well.”
Life on the pro European golf circuit hasn’t been easy for McIlroy during this turbulent time — especially with his father back in America.
“I’ve been in Cleveland a lot because that’s where he is. I didn’t know if I was going to India because I spent nine days in the ICU with him while he was recovering,” he said, adding, “If things were not looking as good as they were, I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable traveling or being too far away, but he’s got an amazing team up there, and the doctors and nurses are absolutely incredible.”
Fans flocked to social media, congratulating McIlroy on his win and sending well wishes to his father. One commenter pointed out on X, “Can have all the money and the fame in the world…but at the end of the day they’re just humans with emotions,” as others wrote, “Wishing his dad all the best. Met him in Portugal earlier this year, lovely guy,” and “His parents are so important in his life. Well done Rory, and all the best to you and yours.”