Rory McIlroy walks onto the first tee box on day four of the The 154th Open(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy was brilliant at The Open. Brilliant with the adoring crowds, brilliant with the media, brilliant with his playing partners.
Even when it was clear he would not contend for the Claret Jug, McIlroy was one of the Championship’s main draw cards. Only Tommy Fleetwood, the local hero, drew as much attention.
Rory is box office, wherever he goes. Scottie Scheffler is the world number one but McIlroy is the successor to Tiger Woods as golf’s poster player. Which is why his comments after his final round at Royal Birkdale will have alarmed PGA Tour executives. McIlroy is not just the most talented golfer out there, he is the most eloquent. And he gives an honest answer.
Asked if he was not as ‘fired up’ by the PGA Tour as he once was, he replied:
“Yeah, that is fair.”And he then elaborated, explaining his priorities have changed and that the new FedEx Cup format meant he could miss more tournaments.
He explained:
“I think the change where it doesn’t matter where your 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?”
It is a fair point. But it also shows McIlroy is becoming more and more selective when it comes to the business of competing in golf tournaments.
From the day he donned a second Green Jacket to the opening day of the 154th Open Championship, McIlroy played in five events. Five events in more than three months.
Rory McIlroy drew huge followings at The Open despite struggling for top form(Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)
Look at the top five on the final Open leaderboard. In that same time, Ryan Fox played in nine events, Cameron Young in seven, Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler in eight, and Tommy Fleetwood in nine.
Of those five events McIlroy played between his win at Augusta and his tied-40th place at The Open, two were majors. And the earliest McIlroy will return to the golf course will be on August 12, although judging by his comments on the FedEx Cup format, it is not an absolute guarantee he will start at the St Jude Classic on that date.
A back-to-back Masters champion and with six majors to his name - not to mention countless tournament wins worldwide and a personal fortune estimated to be around the £300million mark - McIlroy has earned the right to pick and choose when and where to play. But his performance at The Open made you wonder if his schedule could take a little away from his competitive edge.
McIlroy is so good that, even with a reduced schedule, he will be a prime contender for the lucrative end-of-season honours. He will be in the mix for the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai, that is for sure.
And when the next major comes around next April, you would not back against him making it three Masters wins on the spin.But it is clear golf is going to see less of its greatest player in the coming years, rather than more.
