Rory McIlroy’s PGA Tour schedule approach backed by Sir Nick Faldo on eve of The Open
Sir Nick Faldo says Rory McIlroy is right to play a limited schedule on the PGA Tour.
Sir Nick Faldo says Rory McIlroy is right to play a limited schedule on the PGA Tour as the only thing that matters in his career is adding to his haul of major titles.
McIlroy, 37, has faced criticism this year for dramatically reducing his appearances on tour outside of the major championships.
He has only played five times since defending his green jacket at the 2026 Masters and is on track to fall short of the 15 minimum required to keep hold of his PGA Tour membership.
But he is likely to escape punishment, with the top brass reportedly willing to give the Northern Irishman a pass due to a little-known rule in the players' handbook.
Faldo told the Sky Sports Golf podcast that he "100 per cent agrees" with McIlroy's decision to take extended breaks and also hone his game at major venues ahead of the big four.
"You've had that career and the most important thing is the majors, if I wanted to win a major, I'd do what Harry Vardon did," Faldo said.
"Harry Vardon used to come for two weeks before The Open, play 36 a day, how about that for two weeks before an Open? That's why he won seven of them.
"So if I could do it all again, and then I'm thinking all I want to do is win majors, now they let you.
"They let you park yourself and come in each day. They've shut the course for two weeks.
"You could tootle round here, nobody here, and really get to know it. I think it's a good game plan for him. He comes here fresh. He's seen it."
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McIlroy will begin his quest to win a first Open title since 2014 on Thursday afternoon alongside Matthew Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele.
The trio are scheduled to tee of at 15:15 on Thursday and are out at 10:09am the following day.
McIlroy finished in a share of fourth the last time an Open was held in at the Southport links in 2017.
The 154th Open is expected to have firm and fiery conditions.
"The course is primed for an amazing week," McIlroy told reporters in his pre-tournament news conference on Tuesday.
"It's as linksy as links gets. It's a lot different than when I was here a few weeks ago [for a practice round].
"It's not quite as green, the rough isn't quite as juicy - it's still long, the fescue, but it's a little thinner because of the weather we've had."
McIlroy said he believed he could play the course more aggressively than nine years ago.
But he doesn't view a fast start as essential.
"Fast starts are always important in these tournaments, or at least not shooting yourself out of it," he added.
"I did well to rally in 2017 and shoot a decent score on that first day after a bad start.
"You try to play as good as you can. Like 72 holes is a long golf tournament. It's a lot of time. A lot of things can happen.
"So it's not essential, but it's obviously better to start well than not to start well."
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