Mcilroy might skip players golf

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Rory McIlroy might skip next year’s Players Championship, the sol-called fifth major which takes place on the doorstep of PGA Tour HQ.

Just two weeks after confirming he won’t be keeping his US card next year, McIlroy said of Sawgrass: “I don’t like the course. That’s one of the reasons I’m undecided whether to play it or not.

“That’s not to say the ‘Players’ isn’t a great event, it’s very prestigious and it would be great to win it one day but it just might not suit my schedule next year.”

McIlroy also explained that he found Sawgrass an awkward course to picture off the tee.

“It’s a Pete Dye course. It creates angles, a bit like Whistling Straits (venue of this year’s U.S. PGA Championship),” he said. “He designed that course as well, where the tee boxes are sort of lining you up in the wrong direction. Visually it’s very tough off the tee.

“It makes you feel uncomfortable because it looks like you’ve only got a little bit of fairway to hit but actually once you get up there, it’s a little bit wider. It’s just very demanding visually,” added McIlroy. “It’s personal preference. Some guys love Sawgrass and some guys don’t like it so much.”

The Players Championship is the PGA Tour’s signature event because the majors are outside the Tour’s purview. Since McIlroy is one of the game’s most promising young stars, it has to rankle Tour executives that he’s taking shots at the Players and the FedEx Cup, of which McIlroy recently said, “The FedExCup is only about money and you shouldn’t just be going over to play thinking about how much you can make.”

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