Rory McIlroy admitted he is considering major changes to the 2025 schedule after hitting a “plateau” at the end of the PGA Tour season.
McIlroy has won twice on the PGA Tour this season, capturing the Wells Fargo Championship after winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Sean Lowry, but he has waited five seasons for a fifth major title.
The 35-year-old squandered a two-shot lead in the final holes of the U.S. Open in June to finish runner-up. McIlroy took three weeks off – his longest break of the year – but failed to qualify for the British Open despite a strong performance at the Genesis Open in Scotland.
McIlroy also threatened for an Olympic medal in Paris before playing in all three FedEx Cup playoff events and tied for ninth at the season-ending Tour Championship, his sixth start in eight weeks.
“I feel like tournaments come one after another, and obviously with the Olympics thrown in this year, it’s a little bit packed,” McIlroy told reporters after a final-round 66 at East Lake Golf Club.
“It’s been a long season and I just have to think about trying to create some extra breakthroughs next year and in the future because I feel like I hit a little bit of a plateau after the U.S. Open and still feeling a little bit of a hangover.”
McIlroy will still play five more events on the DP World Tour this year, which will take his total to 27, his most since 2010, and the Northern Irishman is eager to tweak his schedule in 2025.
“I usually play 22 tournaments a year,” McIlroy explained. “But that was when I was in my 20s and I didn’t have the responsibilities that I have now. I think in the future I’ll try to get it down to 18 or 20 a year.”
McIlroy finished six shots behind Scottie Scheffler at the season-ending Tour Championship, the same margin he won by for his third FedEx Cup in 2022, but ultimately finished 14 shots behind the world No. 1 and out of contention.
“He’s hitting more birdies than me and less bogeys than me,” McIlroy said of how his play compared to Scheffler’s this season. “That just shows that he’s playing a little bit better right now.”
“I think the thing I’ve always admired about Scottie is the number of bogey-free rounds he’s had. If you look back over the last two or three years, you see how many four-under rounds he’s had, no bogeys.
“It didn't look spectacular, but it was very solid play — he didn't put himself out of position. When you don't have a ton of bogeys, players have to do something special to keep up.”
Where else will McIlroy compete this year?
Following the conclusion of the FedEx Cup season, McIlroy took a week off before turning his attention back to Europe for a series of events on the DP World Tour.
He has committed to play in the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down Golf Club from September 12-15, while McIlroy will compete in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth a week later.
McIlroy will return to Scotland for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship from October 3-6, teaming up with father Jerry for the team event, before heading to the Middle East in November for the final two events on the DP World Tour.
In the new round of DP World Tour play-offs, McIlroy will compete in the Abu Dhabi Championship from November 7 to 10 and the DP World Tour Championship a week later, both Rolex Series events, where he will be competing for his sixth Dubai Race title.
Would McIlroy consider playing in the Ryder Cup?
The battle to qualify for Europe's next Ryder Cup team kicked off last week at the Betfred British Masters, with Luke Donald looking to retain his title as Europe's Ryder Cup team with a historic win on US soil next September.
The qualification criteria for the 2025 New York Olympics have changed significantly. Sky Sports LiveMcIlroy is determined to achieve his goal of an eighth consecutive Ryder Cup as soon as possible.
“I think once Ricky [Fowler] To Tommy [Fleetwood] “I’ve been thinking about Bethpage since I made that putt on the 16th green,” McIlroy said, referring to the point that secured Europe’s victory in Rome last fall.
“Qualifying started in Europe and we were all trying to get points early to make sure we didn’t have to rely on the draft – which was obviously a big thing.
“I think one of the great things we did before Rome was we basically finalized the roster months in advance, so hopefully we can do the same thing again and know pretty early on the 12 players we’re taking to New York.
“We can think about pairings and think about all the things that need to be done so that once we get there in a few weeks, we’re ready and everybody knows what they’re doing.”
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