Golf superstar Rory McIlroy isn’t entirely satisfied with the current state of the game – and would like to see five changes in particular.
The Northern Irishman has his sights set on seeing at least five significant rule changes in the sport as he plans to scale back his playing schedule come 2025. After a 2024 where he “hit a bit of a wall,” playing in 24 events and yet again not securing a major win, McIlroy is seeking some transformation within golf.
In particular, his second-place snag at the US Open, where he just lost out to Bryson DeChambeau, was a particularly hard pill to swallow. And as he gears up for a lighter load in 2025, The Mirror US has highlighted the quintet of rule tweaks McIlroy believes could be on the horizon.
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Introduce a shot clock
McIlroy, 35, recently joined forces with Tiger Woods to push Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL), an in-studio, high-tech tournament that pits players against one another in a virtual arena. The duo announced TGL in a collaboration with the PGA Tour in 2022, and fans have been lapping up the novel format that puts celebrated golfers front and center in an exciting new way.
Quizzed about if TGL had any takeaways for PGA Tour events, McIlroy said: “Look, if you could somehow implement the shot clock in some way and be able to police it consistently, I think that would be a really cool thing.”
The 40-second time limit has injected a thrilling sense of urgency into the game, but McIlroy admitted it could be a challenge to apply under regular golfing conditions. He added: “Much easier to do in this controlled environment compared to a golf course that spans 100 or 200 acres.”
Ryder Cup selection
With the 2025 Ryder Cup on the horizon, McIlroy has also expressed his unease regarding the eligibility of Team Europe players who are now playing for LIV Golf. His concern is understandable, considering Jon Rahm’s crucial role in Europe’s triumph over Team USA at home in 2023.
European golfers wishing to partake in the Ryder Cup have to complete a minimum of four starts on the DP World Tour, which is tougher for some following its decision to suspend players associated with LIV Golf. While Rahm remains eligible to play on the DP World Tour amid his ongoing appeal against suspension, McIlroy has expressed his views that an official resolution is necessary.
“Jon is going to be in Bethpage in 2025 so, because of this decision, the tour are going to have to rewrite the rules for Ryder Cup eligibility, absolutely,” he told Sky Sports in 2024. “There’s no question about that. I certainly want Jon Rahm on the next Ryder Cup team.
“I’m going to miss competing against him week in and week out. He’s got so much talent, he’s so tenacious, he’s a great team-mate in the Ryder Cup.”
Fewer players
Last month, when asked about the PGA’s slow-play dilemma, McIlroy didn’t shy away from suggesting smaller fields are needed. That’s despite knowing it might ruffle some feathers due to its similarity to the controversial LIV Golf format.
“There’s a lot of different answers, but not every answer is going to make everyone happy,” he said. “Smaller fields would help pace of play, but that takes away playing opportunities from people and that’s going to p*** some people off.”
Tour card exclusivity
In line with other changes inspired by LIV, McIlroy has also supported the idea of issuing fewer PGA Tour cards, which is linked to trimming down tournament field sizes. And it may not come as a shock that he advocates for reserving competition slots for the truly elite performers given he has long fallen into that category.
“No, I mean, I’m all for making it more cut-throat, more competitive,” said the veteran in September 2024. “Probably won’t be very popular for saying this, but I’m all for less players and less tour cards, and the best of the best.”
Quicker tee times
The Irish great has also thrown his support behind the idea of reducing the interval between tee times to quicken the pace of play. With pace being a major concern in golf – especially during weekend rounds affected by poor weather – he suggests tighter scheduling could help.
“I think as well, the other thing is when we play this time of the year, the tee times have to be a little bit tighter together so that they can get everyone through with daylight and everything,” he said. “If you could be able to space the tee times out a little bit more, that would hopefully make things flow a little bit better.”
However, McIlroy was less adamant about this solution, acknowledging the potential for significant change is limited. Factors such as course design and shot length mean there’s only so much room to adjust tee time intervals.
“I think as well, nowadays most people go for par-fives in two, so you’ve got to wait on that. You’ve got longer par-threes,” he continued. “There’s a lot of different things that go into it. I don’t know. It seems like you can maybe improve it by 15 or 20 minutes, but that’s still a five-and-a half-hour round into a five-hour and 15 [minute] round. Is that really improving enough to make a huge change?”
