Despite having a DP World Tour award named after him, Rory McIlroy can never win it. Announced last year, the award was to receive its first winner after the 2026 Open Championsihp. Now, the DP World Tour has shared a post on Instagram to reveal that Aaron Rai is the first-ever winner of the Rory McIlroy Award. His name will be the first to be engraved on the trophy, which the organization will now present to every winner annually. As the first recipient of the award named after him, the Northern Irishman took to social media to congratulate the English professional.

Reposting the DP World Tour post on Instagram Stories, Rory McIlroy wrote, “Congratulations, Aaron!!”

The award is handed to a DP World Tour pro who earns the most Race to Dubai Ranking points across the four majors. Aaron Rai accumulated 1,876.5 points across the four tournaments, with the biggest contribution coming from his historic win at the PGA Championship. But why can’t Rory McIlroy win it?

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Well, the award is named after him, and the DP World Tour, while introducing the award, announced that the Ulsterman will be ineligible to win the award. It’s for the players who are looking to “replicate” McIlroy’s success. So the Northern Irishman has to satisfy himself by congratulating and presenting the award.

Besides the message on social media, the 37-year-old also praised Rai for his performances, especially for the hardworking person that he is.

“I’m delighted that Aaron’s achievements this season have been recognized as he becomes the first recipient of the Rory McIlroy Award. His performance down the stretch on Sunday at Aronimink was truly impressive, and it would be difficult to find anyone who wasn’t pleased for him.”

Aaron Rai returned the praise, saying, “Rory is an inspiration to so many people, including myself. His golf game speaks volumes, but the person he is and the way he conducts himself is equally as inspiring.”

The DP World Tour started this award in honor of the six-time major winner after he completed his career Grand Slam at the Masters in 2025. That made him the first European in the history of the sport to achieve that feat.

Rory McIlroy was happy to earn the honor. He said that having a trophy named after you that will be presented to future generations is “very humbling.”

This made Rory the fifth European professional to have an award named after him on the DP World Tour. The other four are Seve Ballesteros, Harry Vardon, Sir Henry Cotton, and John Jacobs.

Apart from the PGA Championship win, Aaron Rai finished as a solo 48th at the Masters, tied for 11th at the U.S. Open, and missed the cut by one stroke at The Open Championship. For the three majors where he made the cut, he scored 52, 1,665, and 159.5 points, respectively. Following him closely, with just 42.5 points behind, was The Open winner, Ryan Fox.

Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, defended his Masters title to receive 1,665 Race to Dubai Ranking points. Apart from that, he got 257.66 points at the PGA Championship, 78 points at the US Open, and 63 points at The Open. Collectively, he scored 2063.66 points and was far ahead of Aaron Rai. But since he is not eligible for the win, Aaron Rai got the trophy.

Rory McIlroy himself will present the award to Rai during the BMW PGA Championship in September 2026. It will become part of the DP World Tour’s annual awards.