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Rory McIlroy explain his desire to be world traveler and chase national opens
Rory McIlroy explain his desire to be world traveler and chase national opens
Rory McIlroy has won six different national opens eight times, and he'll shoot for a seventh country later this year in India.
'I haven't hidden my sort of aspirations for national Opens and where I would like them to be, what their standing is in the professional game of golf,' McIlroy said.
Speaking on Wednesday at a press conference ahead of the 2025 Travelers Championship, McIlroy said he always wanted to go to India and he will make his first appearance there at the Indian Championship, held Oct. 16 -19 at Delhi Golf Club.
'The European Tour and DP World created a new event there. I was asked at the start of the year would I be interested in going, and I said yeah, that sounds amazing,' McIlroy recounted. 'The Hero Indian Open is always when we're – it's like March-April time. I'd love to play DLF and figure out my way around that place, but this one in Delhi in October made more sense.'
Bryson DeChambeau played in India for the first time this spring and attracted record crowds, so expect McIlroy to have quite the following, too.
That isn't the only national Open that McIlroy has committed to. He also agreed to play the Australian Open for the next two years. McIlroy won the title in 2013, defeating Aussie Adam Scott by one stroke. He also survived qualifying for the Oz Open in 2005.
'Got through like a nine-man playoff to get in,' he recalled. 'I've always had a huge affinity for that part of the world. So to go back to -- especially Royal Melbourne this year, Kingston Heath next year – two of the best golf courses in the world on the Sandbelt, that's awesome, too.'
He added: 'I like to travel. I like to play in different parts of the world. I've never been to India. I haven't been to Australia in 10 years. So it's nice to go back to these places."
It's also nice to be paid handsomely to play in such events. DP World Tour and the Australasian Tour permit players to be paid appearance fees, and the reigning Masters champion should be able to cash in for being his star power.
'It's that part of the year where we have the ability to travel and to do these things, and if it makes sense for the schedule – especially, look, I'm excited to – there's never been a Green Jacket in India before," he said. "So to bring the green jacket to India is something that's going to be really cool.'
Here's a list of the national opens McIlroy has won to date:
2011 U.S. Open
2013 Australian Open
2014 British Open
2016 Irish Open
2019, 2022 RBC Canadian Open
2023 Genesis Scottish Open
*He's also won in Dubai, Hong Kong and China
