Rory McIlroy decided to let European Tour membership lapse, will rejoin in May
European Tour Rory McIlroy News

Rory McIlroy decided to let European Tour membership lapse, will rejoin in May

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Rory McIlroy went back and forth at the end of 2018, suggesting he was thinking about ending his European Tour membership in November before end-of-year reporting claimed he had a change of heart when chief executive Keith Pelley paid him an in-person, hat-in-hand visit.

Well, it turns out Rory McIlroy is no longer a member of the European Tour. For now.

According to Reuters (via Golf by Tour Miss), McIlroy is officially solely a PGA Tour member as he arrives for the WGC-Mexico Championship in Mexico City.

“Whatever I earn next week in Mexico will not count on the Race to Dubai as I’ve not re-joined the European Tour,” he said before the final round of the Genesis Open, where he finished in the top five. “I was, for one reason or another, going to re-join at the end of last year but I didn’t."

McIlroy will rejoin the European Tour in May, according to the report. He is expected to play the minimum four non-major, non-World Golf Championships events to maintain his status. However, his earnings from the two pre-Masters World Golf Championships and the Masters itself will not count toward the Race to Dubai standings.

European Ryder Cup regulations says a player must never let their European Tour membership lapse if they wish to be a future European Ryder Cup captain. It would seem unlikely McIlroy, a four-time major winner, would be denied the opportunity with a three-month lapse in membership.

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