Clarifying the fine points of McIlroy issue
This week in golf; DJ WDs; Phil's story gets darker; Bryson talks about it
Missed context has bossted Rory McIlroy’s eligibility chatter (Erick W Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy didn’t play the Travelers Championship and isn’t scheduled to play again until the Genesis Scottish Open next week. He headed home to England following the U.S. Open, skipping a signature event for the third time this year and creating plenty of chatter.
Our stories last week on the issue (here and here) created quite the range of opinions, some based on poorly aggregated bursts of information which did not capture the context of the subject.
In today’s DD …
This week in golf
Who is (and isn’t) at Open final qualifying?
Phil Mickelson will do something for the first time since 1989
Bryson DeChambeau speaks candidly about major failures
And our own wording missed some of the nuance of the situation, which perhaps led to confusion.
So here is a summary of where things stand in relation to the two-time Masters champion and his 2027 PGA Tour membership.
When McIlroy skipped the Travelers, it raised the possibility that he will not meet the PGA Tour-mandated minimum of 15 events in a season which, in theory, puts his membership status in question for next year.
He has played nine events so far this year with the Scottish and the Open Championship bringing him to 11. He is not expected to play the 3M Open or the Wyndham Championship. That means playing all three playoff events would bring him to 14 events and one short.
He could play somewhere in the fall, including the event in Japan, but his agent, Sean O’Flaherty, said he would not be playing there. McIlroy has a busy post-Tour Championship schedule on the DP World Tour, with at least six events expected.
O’Flaherty was asked if McIlroy planned to give up PGA Tour membership next year and he said no. He suggested that the situation would be worked out as McIlroy would be given credit for the extra event due to the Strategic Alliance between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. The PGA Tour has not confirmed that.
Why is this an issue? Because as a citizen of the United Kingdom, McIlroy is allowed to claim the DP World Tour as his “home” tour. That means the PGA Tour will grant him unlimited media and conflicting rights releases to play in Europe and the Middle East. A PGA Tour member typically gets only three and must get approved to play more. McIlroy — and other European players such as Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose — all utilize this requirement. Falling short of the minimum has been non-negotiable at times, as Martin Kaymer found out following the 2015 season.
What about McIlroy’s lifetime membership status? As a 20-time winner (McIlroy has 30 PGA Tour victories), he is considered a lifetime member, which means the 15-event minimum can be avoided — except in the case of a “home” tour membership stipulation. This is clearly spelled out in the player handbook. It has no bearing, unless the PGA Tour wants to change the rule.
But the handbook also has this wording which allows for some leeway: “Upon application by a foreign member and for medical reasons or other extraordinary circumstances that the Commissioner, at his discretion, determines to be a valid reason for not playing in at least 15 PGA Tour co-sponsored or approved tournaments, may reduce the 15-minimum tournament requirement.” We are not aware of an injury or extenuating circumstances but it appears this issue has at least been discussed privately.
As a non-member (Kaymer did this in 2016), McIlroy would be allowed to accept seven sponsor exemptions and play a total of 12 times on the PGA Tour, including the major championships and the Players. But he would be ineligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs.
For now, nothing has been officially decided. The season has yet to play out, so nothing needs to be done until that time. But it certainly appears there have been conversations. McIlroy is unlikely to meet the minimum and yet is planning to remain a member next year.
None of this would be an issue if McIlroy simply would add the 15th tournament.
