Rory McIlroy could skip PGA Tour event he was fined £2.3million for missing as he shares schedule plan

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Rory McIlroy has hinted at a more selective approach to his golfing schedule as he approaches two decades on the PGA Tour, suggesting he may skip events that don't bring him joy.

The world No. 3, who was fined a hefty £2.3 million for missing the RBC Heritage last year, spoke about reducing his tournament commitments. "There's a few tournaments that I played this year that I don't usually play and that I might not play next year," McIlroy told the Daily Telegraph. "Like, I played the Cognizant [Classic] in Palm Beach Gardens, [the Texas Open in] San Antonio and the [RBC Heritage in] Hilton Head.

"And I'll probably not play the first play-off event in Memphis. I mean, I finished basically dead last there this year [tied for 68 in a 70-man field], and only moved down one spot in the play-off standings."

Reflecting on his golf career and future plans, McIlroy said, "Well, at this point in my career... Hey, I'm 35 and have been out here for 17, 18 years, so I'm just going to go to the places that I enjoy and where I play well."

He concluded by expressing a desire to avoid the "hard slog" of playing up to 30 events a year, acknowledging, "Look I've done the hard slog, I've done that sort of 25 to 30 events a year. And I'm not getting any younger."

Over a year has passed since McIlroy was hit with a hefty fine for skipping the RBC Heritage tournament. At the time, he defended his choice, saying, "We certainly have our minimums, we obviously signed up for this designated-event series this year," and added, "I obviously knew the consequences that could come with missing one of those. It was an easy decision, but I felt like if that fine or whatever is to happen was worth that for me in order to get some things in place."

This week, McIlroy disclosed that he's been honing his golf swing in a studio, concentrating on his physical movements rather than where the ball ends up. He's eager to break a ten-year drought without a major championship win.

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