McIlroy also commented on possibility of Americans being paid to play in Ryder Cup: ‘I personally would pay for the privilege to play’
Rory McIlroy acknowledges the crowd on the 17th green on day one of the DP World Tour Championship 2024 on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai . Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Indeed, McIlroy’s true target heading into the next three rounds would be to complete a double-whammy of crowning off his season’s work with a fourth win of the year to go with the coveted Harry Vardon Trophy. He added: “I don’t think any of the European players ... I don’t want to say taint it but it would give it a different feel and I think that we have done a really good job in being this cohesive group over the past decade. Every two years there is a 104 weeks, or 103 weeks, you can play golf and get paid, you can say that one week out of 104 is reasonable enough. It won’t change anything on our side.
The two other Irish players in the field opened with 71s, with Tom McKibbin – who is battling to secure one of the 10 pathway cards to the PGA Tour – chipping in on the 18th hole for his fourth birdie of a round that was slightly blighted by a double-bogey five on the Par 3 fourth hole.
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