Vacation Watch: When Will The World’s Best Golfers Return To Action?

Rory McIlroy

If we know anything about Rory McIlroy, it’s that he’s a big game hunter. He still wins a boatload of non-major tournaments, including two in the 2016 FedEx Cup Playoffs, but his juices truly aren’t flowing until April. The 27-year-old is a few weeks into an off period expected to last well into January or February.

Last year McIlroy got started at the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in the UAE. He, along with Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson and Rickie Fowler, among others, are all committed to compete this year for the Jan. 19 event.

If last year is a further indicator of what’s to come, he could be back in the UAE two weeks later for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Riviera was the site of his PGA Tour start in 2016 and looks like the favorite again. He isn’t a regular at Phoenix or Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines would require a trip to the USA in between stints in the UAE.