McIlroy to prioritise DP World Tour amid PGA flux

Rory McIlroy finished one under par at the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. He ended the week eight strokes behind leader Sam Burns, missing out on a first Claret Jug since 2014.

The world number two rallied from an opening 72 with rounds of 67 and 69, but a final-round 71 left him out of contention. "I was sort of stuck in neutral for most of the week," McIlroy said. "Just one of those weeks I couldn't get it going."

The subdued performance accelerates a strategic shift for the 37-year-old. Having made just 11 PGA Tour starts this season, he will fall short of the circuit's 15-event minimum. McIlroy indicated he is unconcerned by any potential penalties, pointing to wider structural volatility across the Atlantic.

"The PGA Tour is in a lot of flux at the minute with a lot of their schedule and structure and everything like that," McIlroy explained. "I just need to be in the top 30 going in there to have a chance to win a FedExCup, so why would I care about the first two?"

McIlroy will now pivot to the DP World Tour in September with back-to-back appearances at the Amgen Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship. For a European circuit navigating its commercial position against American rivals, securing the Masters champion for these flagship autumn events is a significant boost.

Since defending his title at Augusta National in April, McIlroy has not finished higher than tied for seventh in six worldwide starts. "The season feels very similar to last season," he admitted. "Obviously won the first major of the year and fell off a little bit after that."

Following a summer break with his family, McIlroy will target the season-ending Tour Championship before focusing fully on the Race to Dubai. "I'll try to play hard until the end of the season and then try to win one or both of those titles."