Rory McIlroy has had a very tumultuous year. McIlroy came up short at the U.S. Open in heartbreaking fashion, missed the cut at The Open, and lost steam at the PGA Tour Championship, finishing ninth. But those results illustrated how high the expectations are for the 35-year-old.

McIlroy entered this week's DP World Tour Championship in the Race to Dubai with a commanding 1,800-point lead. It was nearly a lock that he would win another Order of Merits trophy, honoring the tour's largest money winner for the season. Through two rounds at Jumeirah Golf Estates (Earth Course) in Dubai, United Emirates, McIlroy sits tied for second at 8-under par.

He shot a 3-under 69 Friday on the heels of his opening-round 67. The two-day performance has inched McIlroy closer to his sixth Race to Dubai title, which will tie Seve Ballesteros for the second most ever. Only Colin Montgomery has more, with eight, including seven straight from 1993 to 1999.

In his eight starts on the DP World Tour this year, McIlroy has seven top-5s, including a win at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Following his round, the Northern Irishman kept things in perspective.

“It really is a huge honor. Every time that I come back and play on the [DP World Tour], I’m proud to be a member, and I’m proud to support as much as I can. If I were to win The Race to Dubai for a sixth time, that would be a really cool achievement for me.”

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Following a solid start to his round, things got a bit rocky around the turn. McIlroy dropped a couple of shots and began falling back from the leaders.

“Steadied the ship a little bit, but a couple of chances went by on 14 and 15.”

The four-time major winner closed with a birdie on 18, all but locking up the award. It also put him in a great position to add another trophy to his case.

“It was nice to finish with a birdie and at least shoot something in the 60s,” McIlroy said. “I’m so comfortable around this place, and I’ve had success before. So I’m liking my chances going into the weekend.”

He should like his chances. A win may just give him the momentum he needs going into 2025 to finally break his major drought.