Rory to play Irish Open despite US move
McIlroy will contest the first of eight events in succession in the States starting in March with the WGC–Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona.
However, McIlroy’s widely anticipated decision means he will play just two additional U.S. Tour events compared to this past season – the Quail Hollow Championship and the Jack Nicklaus hosted Memorial.
“The big factor in making this decision is that I want to play in the best tournaments in the world,” he said.
“I’ve already played in many of those already and the only events new to me next year will be Bay Hill, Quail Hollow and the Memorial.
“I’m very excited the decision and it will be great for my game as I also love playing over there and the style of golf suits my game.”
McIlroy was speaking yesterday in Hong Kong where he will contest this week’s UBS Hong Kong Open and it was there the talented 20-year old revealed the next chapter in a remarkable short two-year old pro career.
“I thought it better to indicate what I am doing next year now because next week is the European Tour’s biggest week of the year, and I didn’t want to create that distraction”, he said.
“My decision is not that much of a big deal. I am only adding a couple of more events, and besides the European Tour is still my home tour. So I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea that I am just going away to America because that is not what I am planning.
“I just feel that I will become a better golfer if I also play in America. I will be playing in world-class fields with more world ranking points on offer and the only way for me to get better is to play alongside better players.
McIlroy has played some of his best golf this year at the game’s highest level, capped by a third place finish in the U.S. PGA Championship, a 10th in the U.S. Open and a two top-fives, including a fourth place result last Sunday in Shanghai, in this year’s World Golf Championships.
“I’m not saying this to big note myself but you can see from efforts in the Majors and the World Golf Championships this year that I like to play in those fields because I just seem to be up for them, and they offer a bigger challenge,” he said.
“In this game you have to challenge yourself against the best and last Sunday in Shanghai was a great example of how I was able to respond to the challenge.”
McIlroy’s 2010 world schedule will commence with January’s Abu Dhabi Championship and followed two weeks later by his defence of the Dubai Desert Classic.
He will then contest eight events in succession in the U.S. starting with the WGC –
He indicated that his schedule will include three in a row in Europe, starting with the Barclays Scottish Open and including the British Open and the ‘3’ Irish Open at Killarney before another trip to the States for the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and U.S. PGA and winding-up with the season-ending FedEx Series.
McIroy was asked if he had spoken to any players about his decision and revealed it was India’s Jeev Milka Singh, a fellow ISM managed stable-mate, who finally persuaded McIlroy to join the U.S. Tour.
“Jeev has about six different Tour cards and when I said to him in Spain at the Volvo World Match-Play that I was thinking about joining the U.S. Tour, he said to me ‘how can you not join as it’s only two to three more events’,” said McIlroy.
“I also spoke with George O’Grady from the European Tour during the Match-Play and he was very supportive and said to me that whatever I wanted to do, the European Tour will be here for you.
“I said to George in reply that I will never give up my membership because it was the European Tour that afforded me so many invites when I was an amateur and that helped me so much in my development as a player.
“I can’t thank the European Tour enough but I am just in a privileged position where I play wherever I want, and besides I earned enough money in U.S. Tour events to get my card so I have taken out membership.”
