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Rory McIlroy: ‘I have to take care of myself’ – world number three on reduced schedule

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1 month ago

November 13, 2024

Rory McIlroy is planning to retain key DP World Tour events as part of his schedule next year while reducing his PGA Tour commitments after an intense 2024.

This week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, where McIlroy is poised to win his sixth Race to Dubai title, marks the 27th and final event of the world number three’s season.

“If I can trim it down to 22 or 23, that will be good for me in the long run,” the four-time major winner from Northern Ireland told BBC Sport in an interview that will be aired in full on Radio 5 Live from 20:30 GMT on Wednesday.

“I have to remember I’m 35, I’m knocking on a little bit – I have the grey hairs to prove it.

“At 35, I’ve been on tour for 17 or 18 years, I’m not slowing down but I just have to take care of myself and my body a little bit more.”

McIlroy told the Daily Telegraph last week that to help meet those ambitions he is planning to miss one of the PGA Tour’s $20m ‘signature events’ and the first event of the end-of-season FedEx Cup play-offs.

In his BBC interview, he insisted: “I’m not going to miss these tournaments in the Middle East, I’m not going to miss Wentworth, the Irish Open or the Scottish Open.

“There were a few events I played in America this season that I don’t typically play and I think that’s where I’m going to have to trim a little bit.”

McIlroy leads South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence in the European tour’s Race to Dubai standings and needs a top-10 finish this week to guarantee a sixth title, which would draw him level with the late Seve Ballesteros and bring him to within two of Colin Montgomerie’s record haul.

Like most of golf’s top players, McIlroy spends the majority of his season on the PGA Tour.

“I probably went a few years without prioritising it [the Race to Dubai] and [I] sort of regret that, I think I’d be a little closer to Monty than I am,” he added.

“But it’s a huge honour. Every time that I come back and play on this tour, I’m proud to be a member and proud to support it as much as I can. If I was to win the Race to Dubai for a sixth time, that would be a really cool achievement.”

McIlroy has won the DP World Tour Championship twice – in 2012 and 2015 – and victory this week would be his fourth across both tours in 2024 after claiming the Dubai Desert Classic, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Shane Lowry and the Wells Fargo Championship.

And while he let some big wins slip through his grasp – notably the US Open, the Olympics and the Irish Open at Royal County Down – he says he is “pretty proud” of his efforts over the past 12 months.

“I’ve prided myself on my consistency throughout my career but especially over the last few years,” said McIlroy, who has recorded 11 top-five finishes in 2024.

“If I’m not winning, I’m close to winning, in the top five or top 10.

“Sometimes that can get criticised because people think I don’t win as much as I should but it’s competitive out here and I feel like I have a pretty good win percentage compared to my peers.

“It’s been a consistent year and the only thing that’s missing is a couple more wins.”