McIlroy’s chasing American dream
Euro tour fears as Rory opens season in States
FOR the first time in his pro career Rory McIlroy will begin his season in America next year, forsaking traditional pit-stops in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the first sign of how the changing schedule and vastly increased riches on offer on the PGA Tour are going to wreak havoc for Europe.
Only once since he joined the paid ranks in 2007, when injured last year, has McIlroy skipped the tournament in Abu Dhabi. ‘It’s the perfect place for me to open my campaign,’ he said in January, but the landscape has now shifted dramatically.
Last Wednesday, the PGA Tour announced the FedEx bonus pool will i ncrease from $ 35million (£27m) to a jaw-dropping $70m, with the leading prize going up from $10m to $15m.
There’s a $2m bonus simply for the man who goes into the play-offs in first place — a position McIlroy wouldn’t have a hope of claiming unless he upped his numbers in America.
‘I think the changes to the PGA Tour schedule are great and they will encourage the guys to play more,’ explained McIlroy, who will join the PGA Tour’s player advisory council next season. ‘I always feel like I’m behind everyone else because I go over to play in Europe. I come over here for Los Angeles in February and everyone has played ten events, and that’s my first one. It will encourage people to play more because of the bonus at the end of the regular season and then going into the FedEx play- offs there’s a lot of money to be had.’
McIlroy will now play his first tournament in Hawaii in early January and plans to base himself entirely in America for the first six months of the year. With an American wife and his main home in Florida, it makes sense on a personal and professional level.
But it’s desperate news f or Europe. It means the first time McIlroy will be seen at a regular European Tour event will be at the Irish Open in July — and he won’t be alone in shifting his priorities stateside. Expect plenty more highprofile Europeans to follow his example in a bleak scenario for the game on this side of the Atlantic.
With the USPGA Championship moving to May next year and the FedEx Cup taking its place to dominate the month of August, that small July window will be it for many of the top Euros on their ‘home’ circuit until the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, which will now be staged in September.
As the defending Abu Dhabi champion, Tommy Fleetwood will begin his campaign in the Middle East, but he’s another who will play more in America next year.
‘If you want to retire early, there’s certainly only one place to play,’ he said. ‘There’s the world rankings as well, with so many more points on offer in America. If you want to become the world number one, you’re not going to reach that position playing in Europe.’
McIlroy, Fleetwood and the rest will easily be able to keep their European Tour membership, with only four appearances at regular events required. Meanwhile, at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, the stage was set for a thrilling weekend of action before the Ryder Cup with Tiger Woods and Justin Rose tied for the lead at halfway, with McIlroy two shots behind.
At the Portugal Masters, controversial Ryder Cup wild card pick Sergio Garcia shot a third round 68 but was still a distant ten shots behind the leader, Lucas Herbert of Australia.
England’s Tom Lewis moved into contention after a 10under-par third round left the former champion two shots behind Herbert. Londoner Oli Fisher shot the first 59 in European Tour history on Friday and an unlikely eagle on the par four last would have handed Lewis, based in Welwyn Garden City, the second on another low-scoring day. Fisher had to settle for a 69 this time to be five shots adrift.