PGA Tour suffers blow as Rory McIlroy announces golf plans for 2025

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PGA Tour suffers blow as Rory McIlroy announces golf plans for 2025
Rory McIlroy has announced he will play significantly less golf this year – with the majority of the cuts set to be made on the PGA Tour in a blow for the organization
Rory McIlroy will play less on the PGA Tour this year
Rory McIlroy will play less on the PGA Tour this year
Rory McIlroy has unveiled his intention to dial back his golfing commitments this year, delivering a potential setback to the PGA Tour which is already grappling with challenges early in the season.

Amid injuries sidelining key figures like Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Jordan Spieth, McIlroy’s reduced presence could exacerbate the tour’s woes. Kicking off 2025 at the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic rather than on American soil, McIlroy will reappear stateside during Thursday’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

TV ratings have sparked concern for the PGA Tour, culminating in a steep 60 percent decline in viewership for The American Express’s final round on January 19 compared to the previous year. With the tour’s vitality hinging on its marquee names, McIlroy’s scaled-back schedule poses an unwelcome development for PGA officials at their Florida headquarters.

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The celebrated golfer’s busy 2024 included 27 outings across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and the Olympics. Looking ahead, McIlroy aims to concentrate more on life at home, trimming events from the PGA Tour while expressing a preference for European play. To maintain his playing status, he’ll adhere to the requisite minimum participation.

“So the minimums, I still have to play my 15 events on this tour, so I’ll make sure I fulfil my minimum here,” he explained on Tuesday. “I played 27 events last year.

“I think to fulfil both minimums, I need to play around 22, so that’s what I’ll do. I’ll play around 22, so that’s five weeks. That’s an extra 35 days at home, and that’s something that I want to do.”

Rory McIlroy believes the PGA Tour needs to cut back its schedule.

McIlroy has not detailed which American events he plans to drop from his schedule, but he mentioned he is “not afraid” to skip $20 million signature events on the PGA Tour. He has already missed the first signature event of the season – The Sentry earlier this month – and in the past he has skipped the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town, which is played the week after the Masters.

Players were previously penalized for missing more than one signature event per season by having money deducted from their Player Impact Program (PIP) bonuses. McIlroy lost out on £2.4 million in 2024 for missing The Sentry and RBC Heritage.

However, PIP ended last year, and it is unclear if the PGA Tour plans to penalize players for missing signature events this year. World No. 3 McIlroy made a solid start to the season at the Dubai Desert Classic, finishing in fourth place. However, the 35-year-old has struggled at Pebble Beach in the past, finishing tied for 66th last year.