Rory McIlroy could be about to make big mistake for 2025 season as he chases elusive fifth major championship

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Rory McIlroy will continue his lengthy wait for an elusive fifth major championship into the 2025 season.

McIlroy has enjoyed phenomenal success in his career so far, with the Northern Irishman boasting four major wins.

He has clinched the PGA Championship on two occasions, and has also tasted success at the US Open and The Open Championship.

But 26-time PGA Tour winner McIlroy last lifted a major trophy all the way back in 2014, with his drought having now gone beyond a decade.

He did, of course, come agonisingly close to ending that drought this year, with McIlroy finishing second at the US Open.

Rory McIlroy could be about to make a big mistake for the 2025 season

McIlroy is currently chasing his sixth Race to Dubai title, with the 35-year-old at Yas Links this week for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

But he is seemingly already looking ahead to the new season, with The Telegraph reporting that McIlroy will ‘dramatically’ cut his schedule for 2025.

READ MORE: Who is Rory McIlroy? A closer look at one of the greatest golfers of all time

The publication noted that this could involve missing the RBC Heritage, one of the PGA Tour Signature Events, along with the St. Jude Championship, the FedEx Cup Playoff opener.

McIlroy could also miss The Cognizant Classic and the Valero Texas Open next season, in what is a big change in direction from the four-time major champion.

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There is, of course, a fine balance that needs to be found when it comes to playing in tournaments for preparation and skipping tournaments in order to rest both physically and mentally.

And McIlroy is seemingly trying his best to find that balance in 2025, with a fifth major surely his priority for next year.

With over a decade passing since his last major success, the Northern Irishman should be wanting such silverware at all costs, especially The Masters given that the title has constantly eluded him.

READ MORE: Rory McIlroy reacts after he makes another costly mistake at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

His best finish was a runner-up spot in 2022, with McIlroy having endured the same fate at Pinehurst at this year’s US Open.

A nightmare final round cost McIlroy in his battle with Bryson DeChambeau, with his biggest error perhaps involving getting into contention before slipping up at the vital moment.

Further near misses arrived at the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship this year, with nerves among his issues on the course.

Could TGL hinder Rory McIlroy’s major chances?

There are several potential reasons why McIlroy has come so close yet so far, with pressure to close out certainly near the top of the list.

Missing key events on the PGA Tour next season will, therefore, give him fewer chances to feel the pressure when it really matters, which could very well work against McIlroy.

And skipping significant PGA Tour events is definitely on the cards for the 35-year-old given his early 2025 plans, which involve taking part in TGL, his joint venture with Tiger Woods.

McIlroy playing in TGL isn’t likely to fine-tune his game for the major championships, with the same able to be said of his exhibition clash with Scottie Scheffler at the end of 2024.