‘I had my reasons’ – Rory McIlroy was slapped with $3million fine for violating PGA Tour rule
Rory McIlroy is set to significantly cut down his 2025 schedule, and could skip an event that he was fined $3million for missing last year.
Speaking after the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Thursday, the World No. 3 suggested he will only play the events he enjoys next year.
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The Northern Irishman has been on the PGA Tour since 2007, and now feels the need to limit the amount he plays to avoid the ‘hard slog’ of entering up to 30 events.
Next week, McIlroy will move on to the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, which will be his 27th competitive appearance of the year.
“There’s a few tournaments that I played this year that I don’t usually play and that I might not play next year,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“Like, I played the Cognizant [Classic] in Palm Beach Gardens, [the Texas Open in] San Antonio and the [RBC Heritage in] Hilton Head.
“And I’ll probably not play the first play-off event in Memphis. I mean, I finished basically dead last there this year, and only moved down one spot in the play-off standings.”
“Well, at this point in my career… Hey, I’m 35 and have been out here for 17, 18 years, so I’m just going to go to the places that I enjoy and where I play well.
“Look I’ve done the hard slog, I’ve done that sort of 25 to 30 events a year. And I’m not getting any younger.”
It was 18 months ago that McIlroy was fined for withdrawing late from the RBC Heritage.
The event is staged the week following the Masters and a missed cut at the major in 2023 saw the crestfallen star return home for his mental and emotional well-being.
PGA Tour rules that year stated that top players were allowed to skip one ‘Signature Event’ – but this was McIlroy’s second no-show of the season.
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That forced him to forego 25 per cent of his PIP (Player Impact Program) bonus – which was around $12m – resulting in a $3m fine.
At the time, he admitted to ‘knowing the consequences’ of skipping the Heritage, describing it as an ‘easy decision’.
“I had my reasons to not play Hilton Head and I’ve expressed those to Jay,” McIlroy said, noting a conversation with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.
“It was an easy decision, but I felt like if that fine or whatever is to happen was worth that for me in order to get some things in place.”
The tournament is no longer mandatory so he could now miss it again if he wishes to do so.
Ahead of his Abu Dhabi appearance, McIlroy spent three weeks locked in the studio at his home in Florida, looking to perfect his golf swing.
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He has not won one of the four majors since his 2014 PGA Championship triumph, and being in the studio has allowed him to focus entirely on his body movements without the distraction of the ball’s flight.
“It’s something just to make my golf swing more efficient, and then if it is more efficient, it means it’s not going to break down as much under pressure,” he explained.
With tweaks to his swing, and a lighter schedule in 2025, McIlroy might be able to put himself in a position to end his decade-long wait for another major.
