Rory McIlroy Unsure Of Playing In Europe This Year

The four-time Major winner may not return for any European Tour events this year

Rory McIlroy Unsure Of Playing In Europe This Year
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The four-time Major winner may not return for any European Tour events this year

Rory McIlroy Unsure Of Playing In Europe This Year

Rory McIlroy has dealt a blow to the European Tour after saying he doesn't know if he'll return to his home continent for any tournaments this year.

We might have expected Rory to play in both the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship but he is currently unsure if he wants to travel.

The BMW PGA Championship, which McIlroy has played in numerous times over the years, has been pushed back to October, whilst it is rumoured that the Irish Open will be a couple of weeks before Wentworth in the Ryder Cup's vacant spot.

McIlroy controversially skipped the Irish Open last year for the first time in his professional career to aid his Open Championship preparation.

The Scottish Open is the week before Wentworth and would be part of three consecutive Rolex Series tournaments, presuming the Irish Open remains on the Rolex Series and goes ahead as rumours suggest.

It doesn't seem like the World No.2 will make the trip, although he hasn't officially ruled it out just yet

"I don't know if I see myself going back to Europe this year. I don't know," he said.

"I don't know if I want to travel, I don't know if I want to be exposed to more things and more people. So I don't know. I have no idea.

"I'm sort of taking it week by week. I've got my schedule planned up until the US Open, which is obviously a couple weeks after the Tour Championship, and then I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do after that."

Following the US Open in mid-September, the year's third and final Major takes place at Augusta National in mid-November.

In between the two Majors are those Rolex Series events mentioned above in Europe and the WGC-HSBC Champions, which Rory won last year.

On the PGA Tour, the events he may choose to play in between the US Open and The Masters would be the CJ Cup and Zozo Championship, which are scheduled for the weeks leading up to the WGC-HSBC Champions.

The CJ Cup and Zozo each have huge purses and the CJ Cup in South Korea clashes with Wentworth.

Rory clearly still has not made up his mind as of yet and it remains to be seen where, or if, he chooses to play.

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV