Rory McIlroy gave himself a passing mark when asked to grade his ... You know, Scottie [Scheffler] winning a Masters and a Players and the Olympics. They certainly separated themselves from the pack this year. I'm obviously very aware of that, and it ...

The one glaring stain was yet another close call at a major championship, this time at Pinehurst No. 2 at the U.S. Open. McIlroy controlled the tournament on the back nine on Sunday but bogeyed three of his final four holes to allow Bryson DeChambeau to swoop in and win his second major title (2020 U.S. Open, Winged Foot).

Rory McIlroy doesn’t have to look far for motivation for next year. All he has to do is glance up at the two players ahead of him in the Official World Golf Ranking.