Rory McIlroy has somewhat slimmed down his PGA Tour schedule in 2026, with the six-time Major winner set to skip another tournament during a busy period of golf.
Following on from this week's US Open, many of the world's best will head to the Travelers Championship, the final Signature Event of the PGA Tour season.
Providing players with a $20 million purse, as well as plenty of FedEx Cup points, McIlroy won't be present at TPC River Highlands, meaning he has only played in five of the eight Signature Events.
Opting to skip the RBC Heritage and Cadillac Championship, the Travelers Championship is another tournament that McIlroy won't compete in, adding to the list of missed events compared to 2025.
Last year, the 37-year-old also played the Texas Children's Houston Open, Zurich Classic of New Orleans and RBC Canadian Open, but they weren't on his schedule for 2026.
He also made the trip to the Travelers Championship following that year's US Open, where he finished T6th, but that won't be the case this season.
As of writing, it appears his next start will be the Genesis Scottish Open on July 9-13th, which takes place the week before The Open Championship.
In fairness to McIlroy, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise, with the 30-time PGA Tour winner stating back in August: "I'll always look at the schedule at the start of the year and see what best fits me and my life, and everything else that I do with family or other opportunities that I'm pursuing outside of golf."
He went on to add "this year that meant skipping a few signature events. (Next year) I might skip less, I might skip the same amount.
"The luxury of being a PGA Tour player is we're free to pick and choose our own schedule for the most part. I took advantage of that this year and I'll continue to take advantage of that for as long as I can."
His comments were backed up at The Memorial Tournament, where he explained that he will continue to "pick and choose" where he plays on a limited schedule regardless of what a new PGA Tour season looks like.
Admitting that he felt like "a bit like a part-timer" as he returned to action at Muirfield Village, the US Open is just his ninth start of 2026.
Making his golf-life balance a priority, McIlroy used his time after the PGA Championship to settle into a new house in London.
The Travelers Championship is the final of eight Signature Events during the 2026 PGA TOUR Season. The field will be finalized following the conclusion of the U.S. Open. Players can still become eligible through the Aon Next 10 and Top 30 OWGR. Field for the Travelers… pic.twitter.com/bonv5DZxVzJune 19, 2026
Schedule-wise, McIlroy is also set to continue playing DP World Tour events following the conclusion of the PGA Tour season.
He is already listed in the field for the Amgen Irish Open, BMW PGA Championship, DP World India Championship and Australian Open, as he looks to equal Colin Montgomerie's record of eight Race to Dubai victories.
At the Travelers Championship, Scottie Scheffler will headline the field, as Keegan Bradley returns to defend his title that he won by a single stroke via a final hole birdie.
