At 36, Rory McIlroy doesn’t have much time left in his career. And he’s well aware of that. But that doesn’t mean the golfer is squandering away his time stressing over his remaining time. If anything, it’s quite the contrary. The Grand Slam winner already has a plan in place.

Speaking at the CNBC’s CEO Council Forum, McIlroy looked clear about his upcoming plans. “I used to be the young guy on Tour. I look around myself now, and I’m not anymore. I’ve got the gray hairs to prove it,” he joked light-heartedly. “I can be a really good golfer for the next five to ten years, but I’m still going to have half my life to live after that.”

Looks like the golfer is not ready to risk his body for a few more trophies. In his words, he “hit a wall” after playing 27 events last year, and so his schedule would see a drastic scale-back, evident by McIlroy missing 4 Signature Events in 2025. His aim was to skip most of the PGA Tour events, as they require him to fly out of Europe.

“Look, I’m not getting any younger. If I want to play competitively for another 10 years, like Justin Rose has, for example, I have to remember that I’m not 23 any more and I can’t play that schedule forever,” McIlroy had said on a different occasion, talking about his current schedule.

As for his post-retirement life, McIlroy also revealed how he’d prefer a place away from the spotlight.

“It is a struggle for me to love the position I am in all the time,” he said. “There are times when I would like to just breeze through life and not get the attention I do, but I understand that with what I have done in the game, that is just part of it. There are times when I yearn for a little anonymity and a quieter life. That will happen one day. This is my time in the sun. In 10 years, it won’t be, and that is my time to enjoy that part of it.

“I’d like to walk away with a little bit left in the tank. I don’t want to be out there embarrassing myself.”

For now, though, he’s making the most of his time.

For McIlroy, the grind became intense at the DP World Tour. He played the Genesis Scottish Open. He also played the Amgen Irish Open, where he won. The Ryder Cupper then traveled to India for DPWIC and then flew to the UAE for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (3T) and the DPWT Championship, finishing second. This all just means that golf is still his priority.

“I think as long as I’m playing golf competitively, I will be a golfer first and foremost,” he reflected. “Golf is the reason that I am on this stage. It’s given me a platform to follow these different interests in my life.”

That said, the next step in his life is definitely business, something he has started dipping his toes in.

Top Stories

Nelly Korda Comes Clean About the Surprising Caddie Move That Left a Cameraman ‘Scared’

Top 3 PGA Tour Pros Who Missed Their Card After RSM Classic

Congratulations Pour in from Rose Zhang & More as Jeeno Thitikul Makes Emotional Career Announcement

Nelly Korda’s Feelings on Jeeno Thitikul Breaking Iconic LPGA Record Speaks Volumes

Rory McIlroy is a businessman, too

This year, just weeks after completing his career Grand Slam at the Masters, he launched TPG Sports. TPG, which is a private equity firm that manages around $246 B in assets, seemed like the perfect launchpad for McIlroy. Even back in 2019, he had walked on this path when he co-founded Symphony Ventures. The result of this is Whoop, Hyperice, Golf Genius, and Puttery. Then there is also the TGL that he has with Tiger Woods.

“I think to put the wheels in motion, partnering with great firms like TPG, following my interests in investing, it sets me up for that second phase of life, which I think a lot of athletes, you know, don’t get to,” he shared.

McIlroy’s job is to operate as a partner in the firm and bring in funds for sports investment. That is something already being seen since his entry into the company. The fund has received great commitment from Lunate, which is an Abu Dhabi investment manager. For the Northern Irishman, this is a great opportunity because he believes sport is going through a big transformation.  All he wants to do is bring in more investment in golf and try to make it more professional. That’s simply his post-retirement plan.

“When I feel like I’ve done everything that I want to do in the game of golf, it will be so nice to hopefully step into this other role, and it will sort of be a smooth transition into that,” smiles Rory McIlroy.