Rory McIlroy admits he’s becoming a bit of a part-time player as he works out his schedule.
McIlroy will return to the field this weekend for The Memorial Tournament after taking a couple of weeks off after the PGA Championship. Before he tees off in the opening round, McIlroy spoke to the media on Wednesday. During which, he gave an update on his plans for the coming weeks. And, he explained why he’s picking more carefully about which tournaments he plays.
“I think with the track one events being expanded to 120 players, I mean, I think I back myself to finish in that top-100 whatever it is, if I play a limited schedule. I’ve been doing this for a long time; I’ve been on Tour for more than half of my life at this point,” McIlroy said to the media on Wednesday.
“I’ll pick and choose my spots as I have been doing the last 18 months to two years. Does it mean it makes it harder for me 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 believes time away from the game has helped him, as he doesn’t want to get burnt out by playing so much. So, that is why the focus has become the Majors and some other big events.
Rory McIlroy Reveals Ideal Number of Events
Although McIlroy is also still competing on the DP World Tour at times, he said that decision has made him play less on the PGA Tour.
Although McIlroy has the option to play every event due to his world ranking, he knows that doesn’t work for him. Instead, he said he plans to play around 18-20 events a year, including those on the DP World Tour.
“I like that I give myself flexibility. I like that we have the option of flexibility on this Tour,” McIlroy said. “We don’t have to enter events until Friday at 5 p.m. before. In the middle of the week before, if you feel like you want to get some competitive reps under your belt, you can enter.
“So, it is nice to have the flexibility. At the same time, I play from January through December with some of the commitments I have with the DP World Tour. Over the course of that 12-month period, I would like to get it around 18-20 events. It seems to be a nice number for me.”
So, for the foreseeable future, McIlroy will play 1-2 times a month as he becomes more of a part-time player.
McIlroy Settles Into London House
Ahead of The Memorial Tournament, McIlroy also revealed some personal news.
Although McIlroy calls Florida home, he decided to move back to London for the summer.
“I feel like a part-timer these days. Yeah, had a couple of weeks off. We got ourselves settled into our house in London for the summer,” McIlroy said to reporters. “So, it was nice to be in there for the last 10 days.”
McIlroy tees off on Thursday at 10:25 a.m. ET alongside Justin Thomas.
Rory McIlroy Announces Major Professional News Ahead of Memorial Tournament