Rory McIlroy sure he’ll keep PGA Tour status despite 14 startsMark SchlabachAug 12, 2026, 02:09 PM ETClose
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Masters champion Rory McIlroy mentioned Wednesday that he’s confident he’ll reach a compromise with the PGA Tour to fulfill his minimum qualification of playing in 15 events this season to maintain his dual membership.
After skipping the FedEx St. Jude Championship last year, McIlroy is playing in the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs this week at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
The world No. 2 golfer will also qualify for the final two playoff events, the BMW Championship and Tour Championship, bringing his season total to 14 tournaments.
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Since McIlroy plans to play in six more global tournaments after the Tour Championship, there probably won’t be time in his schedule to play an additional PGA Tour event in the fall.
McIlroy mentioned he had “productive” discussions with PGA Tour commissioner/CEO Brian Rolapp last week. He could participate in another opportunity that could add value to the tour in place of a 15th tournament.
“Brian and I have been in constant dialogue, basically since he took the job last year,” McIlroy told the Golf Channel on Wednesday. “I think we’ve built up a really good relationship and we’ve had a couple of conversations last week about what I can do with the tour going forward to fulfill the obligation to keep my membership.
“But I think that’s good. We’ve had productive conversations; we’re figuring it out and it will all be fine. It will be a little bit of work between us.”
McIlroy has played only six times on tour, including the other three major championships, since winning a second consecutive green jacket at the Masters in April. He hasn’t played competitively since tying for 40th in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, in mid-July.
As it stands, McIlroy is slated to compete in the Irish Open (Sept. 10-13), BMW PGA Championship (Sept. 17-20), DP World India Championship (Oct. 15-18), Abu Dhabi Championship (Nov. 5-8), DP World Tour Championship (Nov. 12-15) and the Australian Open (Dec. 3-6) later this year.
“Especially with the Strategic Alliance with the DP World Tour, I sort of pride myself on being a global player,” McIlroy mentioned. “I’ve got a lot of golf left this year after these events. I play six times after the Tour Championship all around the world, so I’ve tried to pace myself for that throughout the year to get to this point. Brian and I have had some good dialogue and we’re figuring it out.”
Spanning The GlobeRory McIlroy, who has played in 11 PGA Tour events this season (including majors), plans to play in six DP World Tour events after the PGA Tour’s three FedEx Cup playoff events conclude.
EventTourDatesFedEx St. JudePGAThu.-Sun.BMW Champ.PGAAug. 20-23Tour Champ.PGAAug. 27-30Irish OpenDP WorldSept. 10-13BMW PGA Champ.DP WorldSept. 17-20India Champ.DP WorldOct. 15-18Abu Dhabi Champ.DP WorldNov. 5-8Tour Champ.DP WorldNov. 12-15Australian OpenDP WorldDec. 3-6A commissioner’s clause in the PGA Tour’s tournament regulations allow Rolapp, “upon application by a foreign member and for medical reasons or other extraordinary circumstances, that the Commissioner, at his discretion, determines to be a valid reason for not playing in at least 15 PGA Tour cosponsored or approved tournaments, may reduce the 15-minimum (or 12-minimum as the case may be) tournament requirement.”The decision hasn’t been made yet because the season is ongoing, sources told ESPN.As part of the PGA Tour’s future model, the DP World Tour is being encouraged to move its biggest events to the fall, so golfers like McIlroy, England’s Tommy Fleetwood and others can play in them.
For now, though, McIlroy is focused on getting his game in order to make another run at a fourth FedEx Cup. He’s currently 12th in the seasonlong standings with 1,738 points, which is 2,385 behind world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler.
“I think it’s important to be here,” McIlroy mentioned. “It’s the tour’s playoffs, and I think it’s important for all the players to be here. I’ve had some good conversations with Brian Rolapp over the last couple weeks. I think it’s important for me to be here and show support and looking forward to teeing it up.”
