Rory McIlroy rejoins the European Tour to secure Ryder Cup future

Rory McIlroy made a last-minute decision to rejoin the European Tour full-time, and secured his future in the Ryder Cup – just not in the way you’re probably thinking.

Rory McIlroy has made some outstanding decisions in his career, especially this year. With a more dedicated focus on the condensed PGA TOUR schedule, the Ulsterman has been absolutely on fire, with eight top-ten finishes and a win at THE PLAYERS Championship in just ten starts so far. It’s clear that things have been working out just fine for McIlroy – so why did he decide to rejoin the European Tour full time this month?

The answer, as it turns out, is both simple, and a bit more complicated than you might think at first. Last fall, McIlroy indicated that skipping European Tour membership for 2019 was a real consideration, as playing more events stateside would minimize the need for globetrotting travel (comfortable though it certainly is) in a non-Ryder Cup year.

“Everyone has to look out for themselves,” McIlroy said. “And for me next year, I’m trying to do what’s best for me to help get back to the best player in the world and try to win majors again.”

So far, that plan is clearly working out pretty well. But on Thursday, McIlroy’s manager, Sean O’Flaherty, confirmed that McIlroy had re-signed with the European Tour just ahead of its May 1 deadline. Apparently, a visit from European Tour CEO Keith Pelley got McIlroy to reconsider some of his plans. Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley also called McIlroy’s initial decision “extroardinary” and said he had been “racking his brains” trying to figure out what the former World No. 1 was planning.

The most obvious reason for McIlroy’s course change, from the outside looking in at least, is simple. Current rules state that all future European Ryder Cup captains must maintain membership throughout their careers. Had McIlroy elected to forgo membership in 2019, he potentially would have lost that privilege, even though he said he wasn’t worried about things that could still be 20 years in the future.

There’s also the fact that qualification for the 2020 squad begins in September at the BMW PGA Championship. Of course, let’s not pretend that Rory wouldn’t be an instant captain’s pick even if he didn’t accumulate a single qualifying point. Padraig Harrington wouldn’t let that happen.

McIlroy won’t get credit for the co-sanctioned events he’s already played this year, including the WGC-Mexico, the WGC-Dell Match Play, and the Masters. He’ll start his official Race to Dubai path at the PGA Championship next week. He’s expected to play the Scottish Open the week before the Open Championship, and then the BMW PGA in September. He’ll only need two more events this season – in addition to the remaining majors and WGC events – to complete his relatively light obligation.

While he said that he’s not concerned about the things that could happen well into his future, it’s pretty clear that this call was made entirely with the Ryder Cup in mind. It’s no secret that McIlroy loves that event, and he’ll be an outstanding captain for the European squad, whenever that day comes.

Captain Rory McIlroy. It’s got a nice ring to it. And if playing just a handful of European Tour events keeps that in play, it’s a great decision.