The European Tour has a potentially awkward situation brewing if Rory McIlroy wins the Race to Dubai.
One of Keith Pelley’s first decisions as tour CEO was to grant McIlroy a free pass into the lucrative Final Series when it appeared as though he would not be able to satisfy the tour’s minimum requirement of 13 appearances because of an ankle injury.
Two months later, McIlroy is still atop the Race to Dubai standings, slightly ahead of Danny Willett, heading into this week’s season-ending Tour Championship in Dubai.
What has bothered some players, including Willett, is that McIlroy chose to skip last week’s BMW Masters to gear up for the finale.