Rory McIlroy said he is unconcerned about the impact the PGA Tour's new membership criteria could have on DP World Tour players trying to earn a card on the US circuit, speaking ahead of this week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
The PGA Tour outlined new membership categories on Tuesday for its revamped two-tier promotion and relegation structure, which launches in 2028. Two series will run concurrently: the PGA Tour Championship Series and the PGA Tour Challenger Series, with players moving between the tiers depending on performance.
The Championship Series will draw players from multiple categories, with the top 90 golfers retaining Championship Series membership and 20 players promoted each year from the Challenger Series. Two-year exemptions for the Championship Series will be granted to winners of a major championship or The Players.
Uncertainty over DP World Tour cards
Under the current qualification structure, the top 10 players on the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai Rankings at the end of the season win PGA Tour cards for the following year. The PGA Tour did not confirm how many cards will be offered to top performers on the DP World Tour under the new system.
The PGA Tour said: "Access available to top performers from the DP World Tour is being considered as part of the ongoing discussions regarding the future of the Strategic Alliance."
Asked whether the new criteria was something DP World Tour players should worry about, McIlroy said: "No. I don't think so. I just think the conversation about the PGA Tour's structure has changed. From my point of view, I don't see any reason why a DP World Tour player would go to the Challenger Series."
"I don't see that as an upward move in your career. I see it as a very lateral move," he said.
McIlroy's recent form
McIlroy finished tied-41st at last week's Amgen Irish Open. Ahead of that tournament, he had predicted that LIV Golf players would rejoin the DP World Tour and said the tour would only get stronger with their addition.
Speaking at Wentworth on Tuesday, McIlroy said he believed the PGA Tour's discussions with the DP World Tour centred on determining how many Championship Series cards it would be reasonable to award to the DP World Tour's top players.
"I would imagine that's what the ongoing discussions are. From the DP World Tour, they're really trying to create something that is a viable alternative to the Challenger Series," he said. "Obviously this is going to be a pathway to the Championship Series."
"No one is going to argue that the Championship Series is going to be the highest level of Tour golf that you can play, and then it's just deciding what an adequate number of cards is to go from the DP World Tour to the Championship Series," he added. "I don't see the Challenger Tour as a progression from the DP World Tour, and I would say a lot of players would feel similarly here."
A future on the DP World Tour
McIlroy has reduced his playing schedule over the past two years, since finally winning The Masters in 2025 after a long wait for the title.
Asked whether he would eventually consider playing the majority of his golf on the DP World Tour, McIlroy told Sky Sports News: "I'd love to envision a day where I am able to play solely on the DP World Tour."
"But in order to keep hold of your PGA Tour membership, you have to play a certain number of events. The fields are deep and you have to stay in that top 70 or 90 or whatever it is," he said.
"One day, maybe. That would be really, really nice, to finish my career where I started my career. While I'm still in my prime, I'm just going to have to split my time as best as I can between both," he added.
BMW PGA Championship coverage
The BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour's flagship event, is being played this week at Wentworth. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 7.30am on Sky Sports Golf.
