Rory McIlroy said his fuse might be “a little shorter than it used to be” in his 19th year as a pro.
The world No. 2, who struggled before he surged up the leaderboard in the Tour Championship on Saturday, explained he won’t play four weeks in a row at this point in his career, adding that “no one wants to see me go through the motions” on the course.
“I think once you start to lose your enthusiasm to go to the course, it’s time to take a break,” the 37-year-old Northern Irishman said while at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. “… Look, I’ve turned up to events that I haven’t necessarily wanted to be there because I feel like I should be there, and I’ve never… like if I’m going to show up to a tournament, I want to perform at my best and play my best, and there’s been times when I haven’t done that.
“It’s frustrating to me, but it’s also at the same time like no one wants to see me just go through the motions and be out there. I feel like this is my third week in a row. I rarely do that anymore. I feel like that’s my limit, like if I had to tee it up again next week like when the playoffs used to be four events instead of three, that to me is tough. I think the last time I played four in a row might have been in 2024, and in the fourth week, I was like I’m done. I’m never doing this again.
“Again, I’m 37. I’ve been at this, this is my 18th or 19th year as a pro. Maybe my fuse is a little shorter than it used to be.”
McIlroy shot a 7-under 63 to get to 10-under par overall for a T-7 on the leaderboard heading into Sunday’s PGA Tour finale.
He bogeyed three of the first five holes and couldn’t make a comeback in the final round.
American Scottie Scheffler erased a three-shot deficit in the final round to defeat Viktor Hovland by three strokes, securing his second career FedExCup title.
McIlroy — who won The Masters in 2025 and ’26 — was open about his struggles after he finished 66th out of 68 after a 2-over 72 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship earlier this month.
Afterward, he explained that his swing was off and he felt “lost” as the tournament progressed at TPC Southwind, adding that he felt “far away from where I need to be.”
Ahead of the BMW Championship, McIlroy said “not all of my eggs are in the golf basket” at this stage in his life — and that it’s hard for him to find a balance between his personal life and his career.
