Rory McIlroy plan to reduce schedule and admits US Open 'hangover'

McIlroy will line out at Royal County Down as the main attraction from September 12-15 but told reporters following his weekend TOUR Championship appearance of plans to “think about trying to build in a few extra breaks here and there next year and going forward”.

The Northern Ireland favourite closed out his FedEx Cup campaign at East Lake tied ninth and revealed, following a sixth start across eight weeks, his sense of hitting “a wall” in a 2024 schedule which failed to add that elusive fifth major prize.

Two PGA Tour wins arrived for McIlroy, with victory alongside Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans plus his Wells Fargo Championship triumph.

But the loss of a two-shot lead over the closing stages of the US Open in June proved significant.

"I feel like the tournaments came thick and fast and, obviously with the Olympics thrown in there as well this year, it sort of condensed everything a bit," said McIlroy, as reported by Sky Sports. "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."

The Amgen Irish Open is one of five appearances McIlroy has booked in to close out 2024 for an overall competition commitment of 27 events, his highest since 2010.

"I'm usually sort of like a 22 (events a year) sort of person," said McIlroy. "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 also took time out to praise Scottie Scheffler, who won the FedEx Cup on Sunday as part of a dream year.

"He makes more birdies than I do and he makes less bogeys," said McIlroy. "That sort of adds up to him being a little bit better right now.

"I think the one thing I've always admired about Scottie is the amount of bogey-free rounds he shoots.

"Just go back over the last two, three years and you look at how many rounds he shoots that he'll shoot like four under par, no bogeys.

"It doesn't look spectacular at all, but it's just so solid - he doesn't really put himself out of position.

"When you don't make a ton of bogeys, the field has got to do something really special to keep up."

McIlroy will follow on the Amgen Irish Open with Wentworth’s BWM PGA Championship, Scotland’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (October 3-6) alongside his father, Gerry, then two DP World Tour events in the Middle East over November.