‘Unavoidable Pressure’ & Old Age Are Catching Up to Rory McIlroy, 1X PGA Tour Champ’s Reality-Check Surfaces Amid 2025 Move

Crazy 18th-hole scenes in the final round saw Rory McIlroy beat Rasmus Hojgaard to capture the 2024 DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. Midway through the events at the Earth Course in the Jumeirah Golf Estates also confirmed that world no. 3 had won the Race to Dubai title one more time. This was his 6th time topping the R2DR board, equalling the record of Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros.

As his fans witnessed how emotional he was accepting both titles, there was one reality that everyone had to accept. As per his announcement a few days ago, Rory McIlroy won’t play as often as he did this year. He had revealed that he was going to have a lighter schedule as he couldn’t compete with the same intensity as he did when he was a year ago. In a recent podcast, insider and 1x PGA Tour winner Smylie Kaufman discussed how age plays a factor in Rory McIlroy’s decision.

Smylie Kaufman sat down with Charlie Hulme to discuss various topics related to the DP World Tour, Bermuda Championships, Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, and College Football. The duo ended up talking about Rory McIlroy’s journey in trying to get back to winning majors.

Discussing the topic on The Smylie Show, Charlie questioned if all the changes McIlroy is trying to implement to his gameplay and schedule are just him overthinking the entire situation. That’s when he asked Smylie if there was a way to get Rory McIlroy in “the correct mindset” to win majors in 2025 or if the mental “pressure is completely unavoidable” now.

Speaking from experience, Smylie replied, “There is a general awareness of where he’s at as far as what his age is, how many years he has left to be able to play at the level that he knows he can be the best in the world” as he pointed out that McIlroy is not getting any younger at the age of 35. He has been doing this for 17 years now and the physical stress might be catching up to him. Smylie further added, “What he’s able to do on a golf course and dominating the ‘strokes gained off the tee’ category,” as he talked about how consistently good Rory McIlroy has been teeing off in par-4 and par-5 holes every year since his debut in 2007.

Kaufman then leans towards how the age factor will start playing from this point on. He said that as McIlroy progresses in age, he will suffer from injuries but also acknowledged, “He has been pretty good about not getting injuries.” Smylie pointed out how “He’s been playing a lot of golf and especially this year” as he stated that very few pros who have secured their Tour cards have played more golf than Rory McIlroy. Kaufman suggested that the fact that Rory McIlroy has played 27 events in 2024 is definitely something “to be concerned about.”

Rory McIlroy has definitely had quite a hectic schedule in 2024. Having only won 2 trophies from it, it’s no surprise that he has chosen to back out from the strategy in 2025. So what are the events McIlroy won’t be participating in next season? He discussed the same during the big reveal of his schedule for 2025.

Rory McIlroy’s schedule for 2025

Rory McIlroy’s commitments to the DP World Tour will once again ensure that he doesn’t participate in the Sentry. As usual, he will be in Dubai during that weekend to kick off the European Tour season. However, McIlroy did indicate that he will not participate in the Cognizant Classic and the Valero Texas Open. It comes as a surprise considering that he played these events in 2024 to prepare for the Masters Tournament, one major that he has not won in his glorious career.

The other events that McIlroy won’t feature in are the RBC Heritage and the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Rory McIlroy believes that these events add no value to his goals for the future. However, during his winner’s speech at the DP World Tour Championship 2024, he did hint at where he will play next. He will be coming back to defend his title at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic from January 16-19, 2025.

What do you think about Rory McIlroy’s change of approach for the 2025 season? Do you believe his age is the only factor that comes into play here or is this a new strategy he is implementing to start winning majors again? Let us know in the comments section.