Rory McIlroy may yet keep his European Tour membership in 2019, but he has restated his stance that the majority of his playing time will be on US soil.
The four-time Major winner, with just one victory in his last two seasons, is facing a scheduling conflict as he looks to commit himself fully to regaining his No 1 world ranking in 2019.
Part of the plan is playing in the biggest events that offer the most world ranking points, which leaves the simple equation of staying on the US tour for as long as possible as the only solution. With only two events on the European Tour as his current playing commitments, McIlroy insists he is happy with his past service to his previous home tour as he looks to continue building his life in America.
‘I’ve done my time. I’ve done everything I feel like I need to do to say OK, I’m going to make my own decisions and do what I want,’ McIlroy said ahead of this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
‘It’s tough. I still want to support the European Tour, and I talk about this loyalty thing with Europe. [But] it’s not as though I’m just starting out and jumping ship.
‘The ultimate goal is here [the US]. The European Tour is a stepping stone. That’s the truth. The European Tour is a stepping stone. It’s so one-sided. You can talk all you want about these bigger events in Europe, but you can go to America and play for more money and more ranking points.
McIlroy is playing in Hawaii on the back of his Arnold Palmer Invitational win and is paired with former Rookie of the Year Xander Schauffele for the first round at the Kapalua Resort.
