"I should be sitting here with a fifth Major" - Rory McIlroy rates his season a 'B', left stung after near misses

Rory McIlroy is at the Jumeira Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to play in the DP World Tour Championship. It will be the final event of the 2024 season for the Northern Irishman, so he has taken the opportunity to assess his performance throughout the year.

McIlroy believes his performance throughout the season was consistent, but gives himself a "B" for not being able to win his 5th Major. During his pre-DP World Tour Championship press conference, a reporter asked him to grade his season, here is part of what he said (via Sky Sports):

"Incredibly consistent again. I think I've been really proud of that over the last few years. But then at the same time, you know, thinking about the ones that got away. I should be sitting up here with a fifth Major title and I am not."

"So that stings and that's something that I have to come to terms with but at the same time I've got plenty more opportunities in the future."

"[On his grade for the season] It would be a pass. It wouldn't be a pass with flying colours. Probably a 'B'."

Rory McIlroy had a chance to win the fifth Major of his career at the 2024 US Open when he came within a shot of forcing a playoff with eventual champion Bryson DeChambeau. But the Northern Irishman missed a five-foot putt on the 72nd hole to finish in second place.

A look at Rory McIlroy's 2024 season

Rory McIlroy has won three tournaments in the 2024 season, one on the DP World Tour and two on the PGA Tour. He has also finished second four times, once on the American Tour and three times on the European Tour.

These are Rory McIlroy's results for the year:

(DP World Tour) Dubai Invitational (T2)
(DP World Tour) Hero Dubai Desert Classic (1)
(PGA Tour) AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (T66)
(PGA Tour) The Genesis Invitational (T24)
(PGA Tour) Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches (T21)
(PGA Tour) Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (T21)
(PGA Tour) THE PLAYERS Championship (T19)
(PGA Tour) Valero Texas Open (3)
(Major) Masters Tournament (T22)
(PGA Tour) RBC Heritage (T33)
(PGA Tour) Zurich Classic of New Orleans (P1)
(PGA Tour) Wells Fargo Championship (1)
(Major) PGA Championship (T12)
(PGA Tour) RBC Canadian Open (T4)
(PGA Tour) the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (T15)
(Major) U.S. Open (2)
(PGA Tour) Genesis Scottish Open (T4)
(Major) The Open Championship (CUT)
(PGA Tour) FedEx St. Jude Championship (T68)
(PGA Tour) BMW Championship (T11)
(PGA Tour) TOUR Championship (T9)
(DP World Tour) Amgen Irish Open (2)
(DP World Tour) BMW PGA Championship (T2)
(DP World Tour) Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (T25)
(DP World Tour) Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (T3)

He added a fifth-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics to his results previously listed. Rory McIlroy's final tournament of the season is the DP World Tour Championship, where he is one of the favorites for the title.