McIlroy will snub home tour in bid to end Major drought ..now he’ll never be Ryder Cup skipper

RORY McILROY is ready to give up his European Tour membership – and his chance to be a future Ryder Cup captain – to focus on the PGA Tour next year.

The Florida-based Ulsterman said he wants to take a long winter break and then concentrate on the Majors and his bid to reclaim the world No.1 spot. But the world No.7 will also be chasing the $15million prize for the winner of the revamped FedEx Cup. McIlroy (with the US PGA trophy he won in 2014, left) will play four European Tour-only events in 2020 to be eligible to play in the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Yet if the four-time Major winner carries through his plan to play only two events next year, it will be a huge blow to the European Tour which is fighting a losing battle against the financial might of the PGA Tour. He is not even scheduled to play in the Irish Open, an event he has promoted for the last four years. Speaking before this week’s DP World Tour Championship, he said: “Right now I’ve got a couple of pure European Tour events on my schedule up to the end of August.

“I am starting my year off in the US and that Tour will be the big focus until the end of August.

‘‘I want to play against the strongest fields week in, week out, and for the most part of the season that is in America.

“I want to continue to contend in the Majors and continue my journey back towards the top of the game.”

His only confirmed dates on this side of the Atlantic are the Scottish Open and the Omega European Masters.

In January 2017, the European Tour reduced the number of events needed to retain the card from 12 to 11 but also introduced a new rule stating any future captain or vice-captain had to have continuous membership from 2018.

“I am always going to want to play the Ryder Cup,” said McIlroy.