Rory McIlroy to Preserve European Tournaments in Streamlined Schedule

Rory McIlroy is well positioned to conclude a busy 2024 by securing his sixth Race to Dubai title this Sunday. The golfer intends to maintain participation in significant DP World Tour tournaments next year, simultaneously decreasing his engagements on the PGA Tour following a demanding 2024 season. The current week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, which concludes the season and where McIlroy is positioned to secure his sixth Race to Dubai championship, represents the 27th and last competition of the world number three’s year. “If I can trim it down to 22 or 23, that will be good for me in the long run,” the four-time major champion from Northern Ireland stated to BBC Sport in an interview scheduled to be broadcast in full on Radio 5 Live from 20:30 GMT on Wednesday. “I have to remember I’m 35, I’m knocking on a little bit – I have the grey hairs to prove it. “At 35, I’ve been on tour for 17 or 18 years, I’m not slowing down but I just have to take care of myself and my body a little bit more.” Last week, McIlroy informed the Daily Telegraph, external, that in pursuit of these objectives, he intends to skip one of the PGA Tour’s $20m ‘signature events’ and the initial event of the end-of-season FedEx Cup play-offs. During his discussion with BBC, he affirmed: “I’m not going to miss these tournaments in the Middle East, I’m not going to miss Wentworth, the Irish Open or the Scottish Open.” He added, “There were a few events I played in America this season that I don’t typically play and I think that’s where I’m going to have to trim a little bit.” McIlroy is ahead of South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence in the European tour’s Race to Dubai rankings and requires a top-10 placement this week to secure a sixth championship. This achievement would place him alongside the late Seve Ballesteros and put him two titles shy of Colin Montgomerie’s record total. Similar to many leading golfers, McIlroy dedicates the greater part of his season to the PGA Tour. He further commented: “I probably went a few years without prioritising it [the Race to Dubai] and [I] sort of regret that, I think I’d be a little closer to Monty than I am.” He continued, “But it’s a huge honour. Every time that I come back and play on this tour, I’m proud to be a member and proud to support it as much as I can. If I was to win the Race to Dubai for a sixth time, that would be a really cool achievement.” McIlroy has secured the DP World Tour Championship on two occasions, specifically in 2012 and 2015. A win this week would mark his fourth triumph across both tours in 2024, following his successes at the Dubai Desert Classic, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Shane Lowry, and the Wells Fargo Championship. Despite several significant victories eluding him, particularly the US Open, the Olympics, and the Irish Open at Royal County Down, he expressed being “pretty proud” of his performance throughout the last year. McIlroy, who has achieved 11 top-five finishes in 2024, stated: “I’ve prided myself on my consistency throughout my career but especially over the last few years.” He elaborated, “If I’m not winning, I’m close to winning, in the top five or top 10. “Sometimes that can get criticised because people think I don’t win as much as I should but it’s competitive out here and I feel like I have a pretty good win percentage compared to my peers.” He concluded, “It’s been a consistent year and the only thing that’s missing is a couple more wins.” The complete Rory McIlroy interview will be available for listening on Wednesday at 20:30 GMT via BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.