Copyright sportskeeda
Rory McIlroy plans to prioritise major championships as he reiterated shortening his schedule. This week, McIlroy is playing at the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Before the first round of the tournament, the career Grand Slam winner joined the press conference at Yas Links.In the presser, McIlroy was asked whether he'd cut down his schedule next year like he did this year. In response, he said he would play fewer events overall next year but would still appear in the same number of European Tour events as this year. He said (via ASAP Sports):“I would say, if anything, playing even less than I have this year. I think I'll play the same amount of tournaments on the DP World Tour, if not more, but I've alluded to the fact that I'm going to play a little bit less just throughout the year. Really prioritise the major championships and a few of the other bigger events.But the world of golf does a really good job of keeping you -- I describe it as keeping you on the hamster wheel. And sometimes it's nice to get off that hamster wheel and do things your own way.”“Look, I'm not getting any younger. If I want to play competitively for another ten years like Justin Rose has, for example, I have to remember that I'm not 23 anymore and I can't play that schedule forever. So I think to try to have the longevity that I want to have, I'm going to have to cut back my schedule a little bit over these next few years to make sure I stay injury-free and I play up until the point that I want to,” he added.At the time of writing, Rory McIlroy has finished playing the first eight holes of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and dropped a total of three birdies so far.What are the upcoming events on Rory McIlroy’s schedule? Rory McIlroy will next play at the DP World Tour Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth course, Dubai, UAE, from November 13 to 16, 2025. Following that, the Northern Irishman will play at the Australian Open at the Royal Melbourne GC, Melbourne, Australia, from December 4 to 7, 2025.McIlroy will also play at the 2026 Dubai Invitational at the Dubai Creek Resort, Dubai, UAE, from January 15 to 18, and he will participate in the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, UAE, from January 22 to 25.Rory McIlroy won four events in the 2025 season. His first victory came at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, followed by a second triumph at the Players Championship. His third and fourth wins came at the Masters Tournament and the Amgen Irish Open, where he fired 11 under and 17 under, respectively.
