McIlroy plays chicken with tour's eligibility rules
If career Grand Slam winner doesn't meet PGA Tour's 15-start minimum ... then what?
Will Rory McIlroy meet the 15-start minimum to maintain PGA Tour membership? (Dustin Satloff/USGA)
CROMWELL, Conn. — Travelers Championship officials were made aware earlier this year that Rory McIlroy might skip this week’s signature event at TPC River Highlands. So they were not surprised when he wasn’t on the commitment list at last Friday’s deadline.
But McIlroy choosing to sit this week out does raise an interesting question: is the Masters champion in danger of giving up his PGA Tour membership for 2027?
Let’s be clear, McIlroy has expressed no desire to do that. And his agent, Sean O’Flaherty, said he would not be giving up membership for next year.
All of that seems logical. But there is a disconnect at the moment between what is wanted by all parties and by the rules as they are currently written in the PGA Tour player handbook.
And how that is resolved — or spun — will be interesting to see play out.
In today’s DD …
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First, it is important to note that McIlroy, at age 37, has reached the stage in his career where he is free to play as little as he wants and where he wants. He’s made this clear over the past two years. He wants to cut back on a busy schedule. He played 26 times around the world in 2024 and 22 times last year.
McIlroy also wants to support the DP World Tour, and is doing so beyond the four tournaments required to meet the minimum. Halfway through 2026, he made 11 worldwide starts. He’s played twice in Dubai already this year. He’s scheduled to play the Scottish Open next month — which counts on both tours. He will defend his title at the Irish Open and will undoubtedly play the DP World Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, which is near his London home. He’s also scheduled to play the Australian Open again late in the year after the Race to Dubai os over.
So kudos to McIlroy for trying to get around the world.
But there is that niggling matter of his PGA Tour membership.
McIlroy has now played in nine PGA Tour events this year: Pebble Beach, Genesis, Arnold Palmer, Players, Masters, Truist, PGA Championship, Memorial and the U.S. Open. The Scottish and Open at Royal Birkdale get him to 11.
He does not plan to play the 3M Open or the Wyndham Championship but is expected to compete in all three FedEx Cup playoff events, including the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn., which he skipped last year.
Do the math: that’s 14 tournaments.
The minimum is 15.
His agent said he is not planning to play any of the PGA Tour’s fall events.
So what gives?
Because he has a “home circuit” (the DP World Tour) — defined as a “professional
