RORY McIlroy is heading Down Under.
But don’t get too excited because the four-time major champion is going to bypass Australia and head for New Zealand in the next few weeks.
It will be the first time in his professional career that McIlroy has headed to the Shaky Isles.
And sadly for golf fans the Irish star won’t be teeing it up in any New Zealand-sanctioned Tour event.
The world No 3 will instead join a handful of close friends playing some of New Zealand’s world-renowned golfing gems.
“I’m going to join some good friends and play some of the great golf courses of New Zealand such as Tara Iti, Kauri Cliffs and great courses like those,” McIlroy told Inside Golf’s European Tour correspondent Bernie McGuire while playing in the recent Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns in Scotland.
“I have a friend who owns a house in New Zealand, so he is organising us to be there for five days.
“It’s going to be nice playing golf down there and just hanging out at the end of the year.”
Rory McIlroy, competing at the recent Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, is planning a golfing vacation down under.
This will be the first time McIlroy has taken his golf clubs to New Zealand as a professional.
In 2006, when he was just 18, a young amateur McIlroy was a member of the winning European Team that played the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy at the host Auckland Golf Club.
Among McIlroy’s victorious team-mates that year were Scotland’s Richie Ramsay, Dutchman Joost Luiten and England’s Oliver ‘Mr.59’ Fisher.
McIlroy’s return to New Zealand will mark the close of a busy year for the 35-year-old, who will have played 27 regular DP World Tour and US PGA Tour events.
He was planning to wind-up formal competition just prior to his New Zealand golfing holiday by teaming with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a made-for-TV match against LIV stars Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in Las Vegas.
“It’s been a busy year with the Dunhill being my 25th tournament, while the Abu Dhabi HSBC and the following week’s DP World Tour Championship will be my 26th and 27th of my year,” he said.
“I’ve then still a bit going-on as I have that match in Vegas later in November and will then look forward to going to New Zealand.
“I will still be keeping busy these next few months but I’m already looking forward to doing other things that I am interested in and spending time doing other stuff.”
