Rory McIlroy reveals being closer to retirement as he makes a bold claim about his future

Rory McIlroy will be competing in this week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Waters. Before the tournament begins, the Northern Irishman shared some interesting thoughts regarding his future.

McIlroy, 36, recently came out swinging with bold claims regarding his future endeavours. While speaking with the press ahead of Wentworth, the golfer from Holywood revealed that he does not intend to grind after he turns 50. In his statement, Rory McIlroy said:

"I don't want to be grinding out here at 50 years of age. I'll turn up and play the majors and have a nice time, but you know, whenever I'm done, I'm done... That's certainly not right now, but I'm certainly closer to that point now than I was in 2007 when I turned pro."

The five-time major champion further claimed that he will compete wherever he wants to, which includes events he loves, majors, and the Ryder Cup. In his statement, Rory McIlroy said:

"...at this point I want to play golf when I want to play golf. I want to play in the locations that I love to go to... I want to play the majors and the Ryder Cup. That's it..."

Take a look at the excerpt from McIlroy's interview shared by NUCLR GOLF on X (previously Twitter):

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🚨🗓️🏌️ #NEW: Speaking ahead of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Rory McIlroy talked about his future and said he’s only going to play where he wants to play, when he wants to play: “I don't want to be grinding out here at 50 years of age. I'll turn up and play the majors

This is not the first time Rory McIlroy has talked about retirement. In March 2025, after Tiger Woods suffered a disappointing Achilles Tendon rupture, the 2025 Masters Tournament winner shared his long-term goals. While speaking with the press, McIlroy claimed that he has no intentions of competing at 50 years of age. The golfer also revealed that he will not play 'Champions Tour golf'.

Rory McIlroy had also revealed that he certainly has plans to walk away from competition. According to the PGA Tour veteran, that day will arrive once he has achieved everything and there’s no room for more. In his statement, McIlroy also said that he wants to retire before it becomes embarrassing for him or too late.

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Rory McIlroy admits taking inspiration from Roger Federer's mindset behind his bold claims regarding his future

In the past, McIlroy has already complimented Roger Federer for helping him keep the love for the game alive. The golfer once again credited Federer for influencing his late-career choices. According to Rory McIlroy's statement, the Northern Irishman took inspiration from a conversation he had with the 20-time Grand Slam winner.

"I had a chat with Roger Federer a few years ago at the end of his career... he was saying he wanted to go and play a lot of the places he could never play in his career... I think as time goes on and I get to this stage of my career, I get excited about doing that..."

The five-time major winner has already skipped a couple of events on the Tour this year. After achieving the career grand slam in April, McIlroy did not play in three out of eight $20-million-worth signature PGA Tour events. He also skipped competing in the first FedEx Cup Playoff event.