McIlroy aims to join major league

GOLF tyro Rory McIlroy hopes to finish the year among the world’s top 50 and ensure his place at next year’s majors.

The 19-year-old from Co. Down, whose two rookie year European Tour runner-up finishes have propelled him to number 49 in the world, can secure his spot in 2009’s four Majors and three World Golf Championship events over the next fortnight.

“My goal is to just try and go higher and higher up the world rankings. Hopefully I can stay in the top 50 at the end of the year to get into the Masters and the others,” McIlroy said yesterday ahead of the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

“I’ve been playing well the last couple of months and hopefully I can keep that going and maybe go close in one of these events in South Africa.”

McIlroy, regarded as one of the finest emerging talents in golf, has claimed seven top-10 European Tour finishes this year including his two recent second places. He narrowly missed out on winning the European Masters in September, losing a play-off to Frenchman Jean-Francois Lucquin in Switzerland and he was edged out by Taiwan’s Lin Wen-tang, again in extra holes, for last month’s Hong Kong Open title.

The rookie will tee off at next week’s final tour event of the year at the South African Open Championship in the Western Cape provincial town of Paarl.