Rory McIlroy is fresh off the back of his first-ever Masters win but has taken aim at the PGA Tour for the scheduling of some of their money-spinning events in 2025 having already pulled out of one
Rory McIlroy admits he is not a “huge fan” of the PGA Tour scheduling their signature events after the majors. There are eight money-spinning signature events on the tour this term – the latest being the £15m Truist Championship, which was won by Sepp Straka.
Two of this term’s signature events fall after majors this time around. McIlroy opted not to play in the RBC Heritage – which took place immediately after The Masters – but he has committed to competing in the Travelers Championship, which will take place after next month’s US Open.
The Northern Irishman made his scheduling preference clear when he was asked about the Truist Championship, explaining: “Before [a major] I’m all for. After, I wouldn’t — I’m not a huge fan of it, but there’s only so many weeks in the year.
“I really like playing the week before if it makes sense. I think, again, this week was a great indication of where my game is and what I need to think about and what I need to work on going into next week. But the weeks after majors are tough.”
McIlroy is not the only PGA star who feels that way, with Patrick Cantlay also endorsing the idea of playing signature events before majors rather than afterwards.
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The 33-year-old said: “I like playing the week before a major, get some rhythm, get some reps in. I think it’s great.”
Another big name, Justin Thomas, was more on the fence but suggests that it depends on where the event takes place. He said: “I’m not sure. I think it can be tough (the week before a major), but it’s very specific on the venue.”
World number one Scottie Scheffler has yet to publicly comment on the scheduling elements but has made his feelings very clear. He decided to bypass the Truist Championship to focus on his preparations for his first career win at the PGA.
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Speaking earlier this season, McIlroy actually confirmed that he would be cutting back his PGA Tour commitments. He said: “So the minimums, I still have to play my 15 events on this tour, so I’ll make sure I fulfil my minimum here. 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.”
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