Rory McIlroy is not playing at the level we have come to expect, but has precedence to lean on at the Hero Desert Dubai Classic.

Rory McIlroy has won the Seve Ballesteros Award for the fourth time in his career. Voted by his peers as the 2024 Player of the Year on the DP World Tour, McIlroy won the Race to Dubai title for the sixth time pulling him alongside Ballesteros for the second-most behind only Collin Montgomerie's eight season-long crowns.

If Rory McIlroy is to emulate the history of the likes of Ernie Els and Sir Nick Faldo, he will have to repeat his own history here at the Desert Classic.

McIlroy has been speaking on behalf of the PGA Tour's side for the entire LIV Golf saga. Rahm was on his side for two years before jumping to the rival tour in late 2023. The division in golf's professional ranks has tanked television ratings but the recreational side of the sport has boomed in recent years.

Although Rory McIlroy has not played well in his first tournament of 2025, he is certainly not out of it at the halfway point.