Rory McIlroy proves he meant what he said about Masters preparation

Rory McIlroy has become the latest golfer to commit to the Cognizant Classic, the PGA Tour event once sponsored by Honda.

Ben Smith

26 Jan 2024

Rory McIlroy proves he meant what he said about Masters preparation

Rory McIlroy has joined Rickie Fowler in committing to the Cognizant Classic.

It means the PGA Tour event in Florida will have its highest ranked golfer in the field for nearly a decade.

The golf tournament has been held annually at PGA National since 2018 and, in recent years has struggled to attract eyeballs due to weaker fields.

Primarily, that is because of the awkward spot the tournament has found itself in the schedule.

The stop, previously known as the Honda Classic, found itself wedged between Tiger Woods' Genesis Invitational and the preceding Arnold Palmer Invitational.

But the revamped schedule means there is a week between the West Coast Swing and the start of the Florida Swing making it a better sell for the top players.

McIlroy has not played in the event since 2018. He won the tournament in 2012 and the victory - the third of his career - meant he rose to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking for the very first time.

He even had to hold off a Sunday charge from the aforementioned Woods. He stayed the World No.1 for 122 weeks.

"It's always good to come back to a tournament where you've won and had success before," he said. "And even better when it's a bit of a home game.

"PGA National is a great test of golf and the fan support and incredible crowds make for an exciting atmosphere throughout the week for the players."

At the beginning of the year McIlroy expressed a desire to play more tournaments in the lead-up to the Masters.

Fowler, the World No.27, committed to the Cognizant Classic at the beginning of the week.

The Cognizant Classic will be played over 29 Feb - 3 March.

Rory McIlroy 2024 schedule

January