Rory McIlroy is in the middle of a three-week break from tournament play as he gears up for the PGA Tour’s playoff series.
But his plan post-FedEx Cup to include a return to headline the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth is significant in providing support to the DP World Tour.
The significance of McIlroy’s presence at Wentworth on September 8th-11th goes beyond competing for a title he won back in 2014.
As a poster boy for European golf, McIlroy’s decision to play in the BMW PGA – the flagship event on the DP World Tour – for the first time in three years looks set to coincide with Europe belatedly getting its Ryder Cup qualifying for the team in Rome next year under way.
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The timing could also see the announcement of a successor to Henrik Stenson as captain for the 2023 match after the Swede lost that honour by defecting to the start-up LIV Tour.
There are a number of players in the reckoning to take over from Stenson, with Luke Donald, Paul Lawrie, Thomas Bjorn, Robert Karlsson and Eduardo Molinari all seen as possible replacements. The European Tour has said a decision on the captaincy will be taken in due course.
However, McIlroy’s early commitment to play at Wentworth came as welcome news for the rebranded DP World Tour which has been seriously affected by LIV Golf’s arrival onto the men’s professional scene.
“It’s an event I always love playing . . . I’ve had a consistent year so far and having a chance to win again at the iconic Wentworth would help my season-long campaign,” said McIlroy of his decision to play and also enhance his bid to top the European Race to Dubai points list.
Before then, of course, McIlroy’s focus will be on the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Following on from his third-place finish in the Open at St Andrews, McIlroy chose to take a break from tournament play and is only scheduled to return to competition for the FedEx St Jude Classic in Memphis, the first of three playoffs that culminates with the Tour Championship.
There are no Irish players in this week’s PGA Tour stop, the Rocket Mortgages tournament in Detroit, while next week’s Wyndham Championship is the last of the regular season events after which those players who advance to the FedEx Cup playoffs will be confirmed.
McIlroy is currently fifth in the FedEx Cup standings, with Séamus Power in 25th place and Shane Lowry in 27th. The leading 125 players advance to the St Jude Classic, then the top 70 move on to the BMW in Maryland and finally only the top 30 make it to the Tour Championship in East Lake.
David Carey has received a sponsor’s invitation into this week’s Hero Open on the DP World Tour, which takes place at Farimont St Andrews where the Dubliner won the final qualifying event for the Open last month.
Carey is one of a six-strong Irish contingent competing at the Scottish event, along with Jonny Caldwell, Niall Kearney, Cormac Sharvin, Paul Dunne and Simon Thornton.
Both Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow have opted not to play in this week’s Trust Scottish Women’s Open, a dual badge LPGA/LET event, as they prepare for next week’s final Major of the year, the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield.
Meanwhile, Darren Clarke’s win in the British Seniors Open – his first senior Major – has moved him from 39th up to 11th on the Champions Tour’s Charles Schwab Cup order of merit. Pádraig Harrington, runner-up to Clarke at Gleneagles, is in second place behind Steven Alker in the standings.
Clarke’s win – his fourth on the seniors circuit – was all the more special as he became just the fourth player to win both the Open and the Seniors Open in their career.
“I’ve made no secret of the fact that I wanted to win this more than anything. From when I turned 50, this is the one you wanted to win, so I could set it beside the other one . . . I feel very privileged to get my name on The Open trophy and the Claret Jug, and now to get my name on this one as well and go beside some legends of the game. I feel very humbled and very honoured.”
