McIlroy Credits Federer for Shift in Scheduling Ideology
WENTWORTH, England – Rory McIlroy revealed Tuesday that a conversation with tennis legend Roger Federer influenced his decision to prioritize a more self-directed tournament schedule, focusing on events and locations he enjoys. The 36-year-old McIlroy, now in his 19th year as a professional golfer, has opted to skip several high-profile, lucrative events in the U.S. this year, including The Sentry, RBC Heritage, Memorial Tournament and FedEx St. Jude Championship.
McIlroy explained that Federer, nearing the end of his tennis career a few years ago, shared how competing in new places had revitalized his passion for the sport. McIlroy realized that repeatedly returning to the same tournaments could become “a little bit monotonous and a little bit tedious.”
“At this point, I want to play golf when I want to play golf,” McIlroy said. “I want to play in the locations that I love to go to, and I want to play the majors and the Ryder Cup. That’s it.”
He emphasized he will maintain his tour memberships and fulfill minimum requirements, but ultimately intends to ”play where I want to play.” McIlroy has already competed in 16 PGA Tour events this season, meeting the minimum for playing privileges.
His revised schedule includes planned appearances at the Dunhill Links, India Championship, Abu Dhabi Championship, DP World Tour Championship and Australian Open. He is currently competing in the BMW PGA championship, a flagship event on the DP World tour, as planning for the upcoming Ryder Cup. Eleven of the 12 European Ryder Cup team members are participating in the BMW PGA.
