Rory McIlroy reflected on a year of "exploration and learning" ahead of the season ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
It has been a memorable year for the Northern Irishman, who made a promising start to the 2021 Race to Dubai campaign with a third place finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January before securing two wins on the PGA Tour.
The second of those victories came at last month's CJ CUP @ SUMMIT in Las Vegas, where he held off Race to Dubai leader Collin Morikawa to claim the title.
McIlroy also represented Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics, just missing out on a bronze medal in a thrilling play-off, and found himself in contention during the closing stages of a Major Championship.
And after gaining confidence from his recent victory, the 32-year-old is hoping to finish 2021 on a high.
He said: "I feel like it's been a year of exploration, learning.
"There's been some good parts, obviously the couple of wins in the States were nice. I was tied for the lead with nine holes to go at a Major Championship, at the U.S. Open.
"There's been some good stuff in there. I've worked hard, I've learned a few things. And I feel like I sort of went through that sort of barrier, struggle, if you will, and then I came through the other side of it.
"It has, it's been an interesting year. I don't regret any of it. I think it's been a good year.
"I'm happy to be here. Happy to feel like my game is in good shape.
"I feel like I'm playing well. I got some confidence from the win in Vegas. Try to finish the year on a high."
McIlroy returns to a happy hunting ground this week, having tasted victory at this event at Jumeirah Golf Estates in 2012 and 2015 and recorded five more top five finishes.
And he believes he has a good chance of being in contention once again as some of the world's best players head to the Earth Course for the final Rolex Series event of 2021.
He added: "It's good to be here. It's a place I've had success on. It's a course that suits my game really well.
"I'll have a good chance this week. I don't feel like I need to do anything too special to give myself a chance on Sunday."
