MAC READY TO DELAY EURO TOUR

TOP COURSE: One of the testing holes RORY McILROY is set to turn his back on the European Tour until July next year as he chases the prize money on the PGA Tour.

The Ryder Cup star traditionally starts his season in the Gulf – and he racked up two top-three finishes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in January.

But the Florida-based star will tee off 2019 at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

And with the BMW PGA now rescheduled to September amid a re-jigging of the golf calendar – the US PGA will be staged in May – McIlroy will probably not play in Europe until the Irish Open.

The four-time Major champion, who is also set to join the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council, said: “I think the changes to the Tour schedule next year are great. I always feel like I start the year off a little bit behind.

“I turn up in LA and guys have already played 10 events in the season, and that’s my first one. It’ll encourage guys to play a bit more because of the bonus at the end of the regular season.”

The prize fund for the FedEx Cup play-offs is to be boosted to $70million next season – with the winner banking $15m.

And playing more in the USA could also benefit McIlroy, 29, if he starts a family with his American wife Erica.

The world No.5 won his first PGA Tour event since the 2016 Tour Championships at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March but he failed to end his four-year Major drought.

Yet the Ulsterman insisted his own performances in Paris next week will not define his season.

“I go to the Ryder Cup next week and win five matches and we lose the event, like I’ll be devastated,” he said. NEIL McLEMAN