Rory McIlroy plays down concerns for DP World Tour players over PGA Tour qualifying criteria
Rory McIlroy returns to play at the BMW PGA Championship this week after his tied-41st finish at the Amgen Irish Open on Sunday; watch all four rounds of the BMW PGA Championship live on Sky Sports Golf
Tuesday 15 September 2026 16:31, UK
Rory McIlroy is unconcerned about the impact the PGA Tour’s new membership criteria for its revamped competitive structure could have on DP World Tour players seeking to earn a card on the US circuit.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour outlined new membership categories for its two-tier promotion-and-relegation structure, launching in 2028.
As part of the updated format:
- Two new series will run concurrently: the PGA Tour Championship Series and the PGA Tour Challenger Series
- The Championship Series will feature the tour's top performers; players will move between both tiers depending on performance
- The Championship Series will draw players from multiple categories, with the top 90 golfers retaining Championship Series membership; 20 players will be promoted from the Challenger Series
- Two-year exemptions for the Championship Series will be granted for those who win a major championship or The Players
Under the current PGA Tour qualification structure, the top 10 players finishing at the top of the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai Rankings will win PGA Tour cards for the following season.
However, the PGA Tour did not confirm how many cards will be offered to top performers on the DP World Tour.
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."
- Explained: PGA Tour announces new two-tier season structure
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- BMW PGA Championship: Field, format and prize money
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Ahead of this week's BMW PGA Championship, McIlroy was asked if the new membership criteria was something to be worried about for DP World Tour players, he 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."
McIlroy finished tied-41st at last week's Amgen Irish Open, but ahead of the tournament, he predicted LIV Golf would rejoin the DP World Tour and added the tour would only get stronger with their addition.
On Tuesday at Wentworth, 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 top players on the DP World Tour.
"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.
"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."
McIlroy: I'd love to one day play solely on the DP World Tour
McIlroy has reduced his playing schedule over the past two years, after he finally ended his long wait to win The Masters in 2025.
Asked whether he would eventually one day 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.
"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."
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