The four-time Major winner will tee it up at TPC Scottsdale for the first time in his career
Rory McIlroy To Play Phoenix Open For First Time Ever
Rory McIlroy has added the Waste Management Phoenix Open to his schedule for the first time in his career.
He will tee it up at TPC Scottsdale next week after his first start on the PGA Tour in 2021 at Torrey Pines this week.
The Waste Management Phoenix Open is famous for being the best-attended event in golf, although McIlroy will not get the usual experience this time.
Due to Covid-19, the tournament will only be allowing a limited number of fans on-site.
The 16th hole stadium will still be there but fans will only be on the top deck.
The four-time Major winner is currently at the start of a very busy run of tournaments building up to The Masters.
After last week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, his schedule is currently as follows:
28th-31st Jan: Farmers Insurance Open
4th-7th Feb: Waste Management Phoenix Open
Week off
18th-21st Feb: Genesis Invitational
25th-28th Feb: World Golf Championships at The Concession
4th-7th March: Arnold Palmer Invitational
11th-14th March: The Players Championship
Week off
24th-28th March: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play
Week off
8th-11th April: The Masters
McIlroy will hope to win his first title since November 2019 in that stretch after coming off of only his second win-less year since 2009.
Related: Rory McIlroy What's in the bag?
He finished 3rd in Abu Dhabi after losing the 54-hole lead to Tyrrell Hatton in the final round.
"I thought for the most part of the week, my short game and my putting was good. I scrambled well. Had some pretty good approach shots, especially last night coming down the last few holes. I thought there was parts of rounds where I got the driver going, even the last few holes this evening there I got the driver going a little bit," he said after the final round in Abu Dhabi.
"But still, sometimes I'll have a few holes where it's like that and there's a few holes where it sort of gets away from me. So a little more consistency and being able to replicate the good ones hole after hole and then day after day until you sort of put four rounds together."
He is currently 7th in the world.
