Rory McIlroy admits he’s tired, will play fewer events in 2013

Say this for Rory McIlroy: the kid had one heck of a season. There was the win at the Honda Classic that took him to No. 1 in the world for the first time in his career; a record-setting eight-shot victory at the PGA Championship; back-to-back wins during the FedExCup playoffs; and how could we forget the role he played in the Ryder Cup?

Yep, 2012 was a memorable one for the 23-year-old, who spent the better part of the year globetrotting around the world to events on the PGA Tour and European Tour. When you’re young and on top of your game it makes sense to strike while the proverbial iron is hot and make as much money as you can — something McIlroy did to the tune of more than $ 8 this season in 21 events.

It’s a downright impressive figure that would lead you to believe he wouldn’t change a thing next season. Except that’s not the case.

According to ESPN UK, McIlroy admitted that his 2013 schedule will have fewer events, thereby giving the two-time major winner the chance to recharge between starts.

“I would just love to cut my schedule back even further and I think next year I will cut it down again to a max play of 22 or 23,” McIlroy continued.

“I still have got some big events left and I would love to win the Race to Dubai and repeat what Luke did also winning the money list on the PGA Tour, so I am going to give it one last push.

“It has been a great season and I am ready to be done. It is just such a long season these days. But then I feel I have got an obligation to play some of these big events leading up to Dubai.”

With five events left on the schedule, McIlroy’s on pace to play 26 this year, so it’s not like he’s taking the rest of 2012 off to relax at home with his girlfriend. But here’s the deal: Can you really feel bad for the kid? He made more than $ 8 million, an eye-popping figure that’d have most guys doing cartwheels.

But for the second straight year — yes, there was talk of McIlroy facing burnout at this exact some point last year — we’re spending the tail-end of the season talking about his busy schedule. If McIlroy’s truly serious about cutting down the schedule, then do it and stick to your plan. He played the FedEx St. Jude Classic after missing three straight cuts before the U.S. Open and made it a point to go after the Race to Dubai title on the European Tour.

McIlroy is a private contractor, which means he can call his own shots and play as many, or as few, events as he wants. Quite honestly, we shouldn’t be talking about his schedule for the second straight year. If McIlroy wants to play a slimmed down schedule, go for it. But the talk of playing too many events and being tired needs to stop.

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