Rory McIlroy set for Dubai return after FedExCup disappointment

Rory McIlroy is set to compete in a DP World Tour event later this year. The Northern Irish golfer last played at the FedEx playoff final event, the 2024 Tour Championship, where he finished tied for ninth place. He is now preparing to return to the DP World Tour.

McIlroy will next compete at the 2024 DP World Tour Championship, which will take place from November 14 to 17 at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. Earlier this year, he participated in two DP World Tour events: winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and finishing as the runner-up at the Dubai Invitational.

He has won the DP World Tour Championship Dubai twice previously, in 2012 and 2015, and will be aiming for his third victory. Speaking about competing in the event, he said (via Gulf News):

"Competing at the DP World Tour Championship is always something I look forward to at the end of the season. Dubai has been a special place for me, and I've been fortunate to achieve a lot of success there."

McIlroy has enjoyed considerable success on the DP World Tour, with 17 victories so far.

Meanwhile, the four-time Major winner had a disappointing outing in the FedEx playoffs. He finished tied for 68th place at the St. Jude Championship, followed by a tied 11th place at the BMW Championship. He concluded the 2024 PGA Tour season with a tie for ninth at the Tour Championship.

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Rory McIlroy plans to reduce tournament starts "going forward"

McIlroy is aiming to reduce his tournament starts. The Northern Irish golfer recently opened up about his tightly packed schedule, that it has been a long season for him. He said he would look to "build in a few extra breaks" after his long season this year.

McIlroy started his 2024 season with a victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, a DP World Tour event. However, as the year progressed, he faced some disaapointments, including narrowly missing out on the 2024 US Open title by just one stroke.

Speaking about his schedule at a press conference following the conclusion of the Tour Championship, McIlroy said:

"It's been a long season, and I'm going to just have to think about trying to build in a few extra breaks here and there next year and going forward because I felt like I hit a bit of a wall sort of post-US Open, and still feel a little bit of that hangover."

He added he will try to play in around 18 to 20 events per year in the future.

"I'm usually sort of like a 22 sort of person. But again, that was when I was sort of in my 20s and didn't have the responsibilities that I do now. I'm going to try to cut it back to like 18 or 20 a year going forward, I think," McIlroy said.

Rory McIlroy has competed in 19 PGA Tour events in 2024 along with two DP World Tour events. He secured two wins on the PGA Tour and one on the DP World Tour in 2024.