The 2024 season of the PGA Tour is going to start soon with the Sentry Tournament of Champions. With the current champion, Jon Rahm, switching over to LIV Golf, and not being able to defend his title, a new champion will be crowned this time. The full lineup has not been announced yet, but many superstars have been confirmed to attend. Amidst all this, fans of golfer Rory McIlroy will be wondering about his joining the tournament.

He had an outstanding 2023 season but got off to a rough start. With the dates of The Sentry etching closer, fans would think he would be making an appearance to start the next PGA Tour, right? However, the Irish golfer has something else in mind.

Will Rory McIlroy play in The Sentry Tournament in 2024?

On January 4–7, The Sentry kicks off the PGA Tour for the upcoming calendar year. The course will be played on a small field of just 40 players. Furthermore, it will invite all PGA Tour winners from the previous calendar year. This means Rory McIlroy is qualified to participate in the tournament. The only question that remains is: will he join? Well, the disappointing answer is No!

If the player’s past words were to be believed, he would not play in the tournament. On August 9, the Irish golfer spoke at the TPC Southwind, claiming, “But I’d say my schedule will look pretty much the same as it did this year. I’ll most likely—I’m not a huge Hawaii guy, so I’ll probably not go to Hawaii. But I’ll play Pebble Beach and sort of play a similar schedule from there on that I’ve played.”

Furthermore, his official site schedule also does not mention him playing in the tournament. This discovery might upset his fans, but the golfer is currently preparing for the Dubai International and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic to be played in the UAE.

What can we expect from The Sentry 2024?

Despite Rory McIlroy not making it to the event at the Plantation Course in Hawaii, superstars Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler will attend. Also teeing it up will be Tony Finau, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Ludvig Aberg, Tom Kim, and Sahith Theegala, among others yet to be named.

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As a part of the signature event for the 2024 season, the tournament will offer higher prize money and will kick of the season in rightful manner! There were some speculations about the tournament getting canceled earlier due to the aftermath of a wildfire in Hawaii. But the PGA Tour is committed to hosting The Sentry in the wake of Maui’s wildfires. Are you excited to witness the start of the 2024 PGA Tour season? Let us know in the comments below! 

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