Rory McIlroy To Skip Third Signature Event Of 2026 Following US Open

The Travelers Championship follows on from the US Open, but the final $20 million PGA Tour Signature Event of the season won't have one of its big names present

Rory McIlroy reacts to a putt
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy has somewhat slimmed down his PGA Tour schedule in 2026, with the six-time Major winner set to skip another tournament during a busy period of golf.

Following on from this week's US Open, many of the world's best will head to the Travelers Championship, the final Signature Event of the PGA Tour season.

Providing players with a $20 million purse, as well as plenty of FedEx Cup points, McIlroy won't be present at TPC River Highlands, meaning he has only played in five of the eight Signature Events.

Opting to skip the RBC Heritage and Cadillac Championship, the Travelers Championship is another tournament that McIlroy won't compete in, adding to the list of missed events compared to 2025.

Last year, the 37-year-old also played the Texas Children's Houston Open, Zurich Classic of New Orleans and RBC Canadian Open, but they weren't on his schedule for 2026.

He also made the trip to the Travelers Championship following that year's US Open, where he finished T6th, but that won't be the case this season.

Rory McIlroy and his caddie look up to the sky

McIlroy has yet to win the Travelers Championship, despite some strong results

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As of writing, it appears his next start will be the Genesis Scottish Open on July 9-13th, which takes place the week before The Open Championship.

In fairness to McIlroy, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise, with the 30-time PGA Tour winner stating back in August: "I'll always look at the schedule at the start of the year and see what best fits me and my life, and everything else that I do with family or other opportunities that I'm pursuing outside of golf."

He went on to add "this year that meant skipping a few signature events. (Next year) I might skip less, I might skip the same amount.

"The luxury of being a PGA Tour player is we're free to pick and choose our own schedule for the most part. I took advantage of that this year and I'll continue to take advantage of that for as long as I can."

His comments were backed up at The Memorial Tournament, where he explained that he will continue to "pick and choose" where he plays on a limited schedule regardless of what a new PGA Tour season looks like.

Admitting that he felt like "a bit like a part-timer" as he returned to action at Muirfield Village, the US Open is just his ninth start of 2026.

Making his golf-life balance a priority, McIlroy used his time after the PGA Championship to settle into a new house in London.

Schedule-wise, McIlroy is also set to continue playing DP World Tour events following the conclusion of the PGA Tour season.

He is already listed in the field for the Amgen Irish Open, BMW PGA Championship, DP World India Championship and Australian Open, as he looks to equal Colin Montgomerie's record of eight Race to Dubai victories.

At the Travelers Championship, Scottie Scheffler will headline the field, as Keegan Bradley returns to defend his title that he won by a single stroke via a final hole birdie.

Matt Cradock
Staff Writer

Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover news and social media.

Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round is a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine.

Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?

Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°

Fairway Wood: Ping G430 LST 15°, 19°

Irons: TaylorMade P7CB

Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°

Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

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