Rory McIlroy maintains he will continue to “pick and choose” the events he participates on the new-look PGA TOUR calendar next year.
The six-time major winner, who has been criticized for adopting a more selective PGA TOUR schedule in recent years, will return to action for the first time since the PGA Championship this week at The Memorial Tournament taking place at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. This will be only his sixth appearance at a regular PGA TOUR event this season and only the second since he defended his Masters title in April.
Earlier this year, PGA TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp mapped out a number of potential changes to overhaul the circuit from 2027 onwards, including different tiers of tournaments, a promotion and relegation system, more signature tournaments, and bigger field sizes. But the Northern Irishman insisted that it is unlikely he will alter his approach to schedule changes.
“I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve been on tour more than half of my life at this point,” McIlroy told media on Wednesday, who joked about how he felt like a “part-timer”. “I’ll pick and choose my spots like I have been doing sort of the last 18 months to two years.
“Does it mean it makes it harder for myself to win the FedEx Cup or whatever the season-long title race is going to be called? Absolutely, but I’m okay with that because it brings balance to my life and lets me enjoy things outside of the game.”
McIlroy did not take part in the Jack Nicklaus-hosted event for the first time since 2017 last year, but expressed a desire to win both The Memorial Tournament and the Tiger Woods-hosted Genesis Invitational, two events he has yet to triumph in so far in his glittering career.
“I would say here and Tiger’s event at Riviera, they’re the two that I would love to win,” McIlroy added.
“I’ve been lucky enough to win at Bay Hill, but not while Arnold [Palmer] was alive. So I always thought it would be cool to win here and take that little walk up the hill off the 18th green and shake Jack’s hand.
“Also, Jack and I share a nice history. We’ve known each other now for nearly 20 years, or I’ve known him for nearly 20 years. He’s been nothing but great to me and my family. This is certainly one I would love to get done.”