SerpApi.Org
Rory McIlroy admits he is not as fired up to play on the PGA Tour as he used to be, and he plans to take a lengthy break before he returns to action.
McIlroy will finish outside the top 30 at The Open Championship after a one-over-par final round at Royal Birkdale on Sunday, and the six-time major champion is heading on vacation with wife, Erica, and daughter, Poppy.
Despite an underwhelming performance on the course, it has been an eventful week for McIlroy, who fired astonishing barbs at Bryson DeChambeau after he was penalized for an incident in Friday's second round. It comes as Scottie Scheffler exploded before a heated discussion with an Open Championship rules official.
• PGA Tour star announces break from golf after hitting out at Open Championship decision
• Bryson DeChambeau issues short response after Rory McIlroy's astonishing attack on him
The world No. 2 will not tee it up again until next month's FedEx St. Jude Championship at the earliest, and he has made his apathy for the PGA Tour these days clear.
"Yeah, that's fair," he replied when asked if his interest in the tour had waned, and he subsequently admitted that the Tour Championship format, which has all 30 qualifiers starting on a level playing field, has reduced his interest in playing a comprehensive schedule.
Last year, McIlroy skipped the St. Jude because he was already assured of qualifying for the second playoff event, the BMW Championship. And the 37-year-old has made no secret of his intention to play a more global schedule at this stage of his career.
"I think it just sort of ebbs and flows," he said of his interest in the tour. "There's been years where I've given it maybe more of my attention and years that I haven't. Yeah, I guess I'm just at a stage where I have other things that I prioritize.
"Again, the PGA Tour is in a lot of flux at the minute with a lot of their schedule and structure and everything like that. So I think the change where it doesn't matter where you are in the top 30 going into the Tour Championship, it's like I just need to be in the top 30 going in there to have a chance to win a FedEx Cup.
"So why would I care about the first two? I sort of came to that decision last year, and I'm just sort of doing the same thing."
It means, at most, McIlroy will play just 14 PGA Tour events this season, falling short of the 15-tournament minimum to retain home tour status, which permits players to play on other tours, excluding LIV Golf, without being granted a release.
It has been reported that the tour is set to use a loophole in its rules to let McIlroy off the hook, but he told reporters he had not yet received confirmation that will be the case.
McIlroy has shared his support for changes to the tour's format and schedule, which have been led by Tiger Woods and will come into effect in 2028.
It comes after Jon Rahm's furious outburst as his Open Championship chances went up in smoke on the first hole.
