Rory McIlroy is set to make changes to his 2025 schedule as the Northern Irishman looks to end his winless major championship run.
McIlroy played 19 PGA Tour events in 2024, which marks his busiest season since 2021. Furthermore, after the Tour Championship, the four-time major winner immediately headed to the DP World Tour for the busy autumn stretch of the schedule.
McIlroy has already planned to reduce his schedule next year, and the 35-year-old has detailed what the next 12 months could actually look like.
Rory McIlroy’s 2025 schedule
Speaking ahead of this week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, McIlroy revealed that he intends to start his year in the Middle East before heading back across the Atlantic.
“I think it will look very similar going forward. Start in the Middle East in Dubai, and then I don’t really play over here again until The Scottish Open,” McIlroy explained.
“So you know, play that. That’s a tournament that I’ve enjoyed playing in the last few years, especially leading up to the Open Championship. Once the season in America is done, come back over. The way the schedule is—Irish Open, Wentworth, Dunhill, these two events—yeah, it’s going to look very similar.”
McIlroy, however, confirmed that he will remove certain PGA Tour events from his schedule when the new season begins in January.
“If anything, the schedule will be reduced over in the States in terms of some of the tournaments I played this year that I typically don’t play. But those are the ones that I would shave off,” McIlroy added.
What events Rory McIlroy could axe in 2025
So, what events could McIlroy axe on US soil? Events in the early part of the season, such as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational, are likely to remain. Both are played at historic courses, and Riviera Country Club, home of the Genesis, is revered by many professionals.
The Cognizant Classic at PGA National is undoubtedly an option for McIlroy to cut ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
| RORY MCILROY 2024 PGA TOUR SEASON | Rank | Score |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | T66 | -2 |
| The Genesis Invitational | T24 | -5 |
| Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches | T21 | -10 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | T21 | -1 |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | T19 | -9 |
| Valero Texas Open | 3 | -11 |
| Masters Tournament | T22 | +4 |
| RBC Heritage | T33 | -7 |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | P1 | -25 |
| Wells Fargo Championship | 1 | -17 |
| PGA Championship | T12 | -12 |
| RBC Canadian Open | T4 | -13 |
| the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday | T15 | +2 |
| U.S. Open | 2 | -5 |
| Genesis Scottish Open | T4 | -14 |
| The Open Championship | CUT | +11 |
| Men’s Olympic Golf Competition* | T5 | -15 |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | T68 | +9 |
| BMW Championship | T11 | -6 |
| TOUR Championship | T9 | -16 |
Two events which are likely to be cut after The Masters are the Valero Texas Open and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. McIlroy made his first appearance at the Zurich in 2024 and claimed victory alongside Shane Lowry.
The RBC Canadian Open, which McIlroy has regularly played in, is another tournament which could be axed ahead of the US Open at Oakmont.
Clearly, remaining fresh is crucial for the four-time major champion next season, so looking to reduce his workload feels like the smart move.
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