Though he was proud of his “incredibly consistent year,” McIlroy acknowledged Wednesday at the DP World Tour Championship that his year will still largely be remembered for some of the opportunities that were squandered, none bigger than his final-hour collapse at the U.S. Open, where he coughed up a two-shot lead with five holes to play.

Rory McIlroy confessed that missing out on his fifth major win still “stings” and the “ones that got away” this year are motivating him to close the gap on Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele at the top of the world rankings.