He might be the ‘oldest golfer’ in the top 10 of the OWGR. But he’s better known by another name. Yes, we are alluding to exactly how Rory McIlroy earned the label of the “Greatest choker of all time!” He didn’t fall too far from his moniker this time either when he faced yet another loss at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. How can he ever change that name? Well, the golfer might have to emerge victorious at an event, say… his next one, maybe?!

The 35-year-old athlete will tee it off at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, as per Bunkered. The DP World Tour Playoff will take place at Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, UAE, on November 7, Thursday. It will go on till Sunday, November 10, when the winner will be crowned champion, all the while receiving a cut from the $9 million purse. Hopefully, McIlroy can card a win there and get rid of the bad luck!

Misfortune? What else can we call it? The golfer finished eight times inside the top-5, excluding the two victories he claimed this year. And out of the 8 top-10 placements, four were T2 finishes, with the most recent ones at the BMW PGA Championship and the Amgen Irish Open. The pro who always almost wins they say!

At the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, however, Rory McIlroy didn’t have the best of tournaments. He could only place himself in the 25th position owing to the figures of 14 under 274 that he carded over the four days of play at the three courses, including Kingsbarn, Carnoustie, and St. Andrews.

He wasn’t alone in that position, interestingly. The 4-time major champ tied himself with a total of eight other athletes, including the likes of Robert MacIntyre and Padraig Harrington, among others. He did so by carding a total of 20 birdies and six bogeys. Seems like an unimpressive set of numbers if he were planning on breaking his cycle of bad luck.

Rory McIlroy and the never-ending loss streak

Maybe his bad luck started back in January when he finished T2 at the 2024 Dubai Invitational. But all worries seemed to ease up when he clinched a victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. However, what followed was a series of not-so-scintillating finishes on the PGA Tour, that is, until a T3 at the Valero Texas Open and a win at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Things seemed to look up after the golfer’s first 2024 PGA Tour win at the signature event. After the same, he placed 10 times inside the top 15, including a T2 at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. Quite dramatic that was, seeing ‘Rors’ finish second despite leading the scoreboard for the majority of the final day. One missed putt on the 18th, and his drought continued.

Anyhow, if he were to do away with the ‘Greatest Choker’ tagline, then he needs to up his game a bit more.