DP World Tour chiefs have moved to play down fears they could be left in the cold when Rory McIlroy takes an axe to his schedule next year.
The world No 3 has stated his plan to drastically cut down from the 27 tournaments he has contested worldwide in 2024 to as few as 20 in 2025.
Much of the impact will be felt on the PGA Tour side, with McIlroy having already named four events he will likely skip as he narrows his focus.
But it has also raised questions over whether he will maintain his level of commitment to the DP World Tour, where he will play his seventh tournament of the campaign at their Tour Championships in Dubai this week.
Having appeared in 19 events on the circuit in the past three seasons, excluding majors and the Olympics, the Northern Irishman has brought star quality to the Tour, but Tour CEO Guy Kinnings insisted he is ‘not worried’ about any forthcoming changes.
DP World Tour chiefs have played down fears they could be left in the cold by Rory McIlroy
Tour CEO Guy Kinnings (right) says he is ‘not worried’ about McIlroy’s plan to cut his schedule
He said: ‘I speak to him very regularly, because he’s so important to us. I’m not going to speak for him on his schedule, but I’m not worried about him supporting us the way he has done. He makes his own decision as to what his actual schedule is, but he’s been such an unbelievable supporter of ours.
‘I have no idea on numbers – all I know is I’m confident that he will support this tour in the way he always has.’
Kinnings has also echoed McIlroy’s sentiment that the election of Donald Trump as US president will help smooth the way to a unification between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls the LIV circuit.
Trump recently said he could end 17 months of stalemate in the merger talks in the space of 15 minutes, which presumably includes removing antitrust concerns from the US Department of Justice.
Kinnings said: ‘You’ve got someone who clearly loves the game, and I assume that has to be a good thing. You’ve also got someone who has said he believes he can help in the process, and I am very open to people who want to help in the process. We have to say that’s a very good thing.’
