Despite vowing to play less, Rory McIlroy will officially defend his title in New Orleans

Rory McIlroy mentioned earlier this year that he was cutting events from his schedule.

That won’t include the Zurich Classic.

McIlroy and partner Shane Lowry will return to TPC Louisiana near New Orleans on April 24-27 to defend their Zurich title, the tournament announced on Thursday.

Last year, McIlroy and Lowry defeated Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer in a playoff. It was one of four worldwide victories for McIlroy in 2024, a year in which he totaled six other top-3 finishes between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

McIlroy also logged 27 starts last year, the most since McIlroy’s 2010 campaign.

“I just played way too much last year,” McIlroy said. “I want to be home more. I want to be a little more rested and fresh for bigger events.”

McIlroy has played three events so far this season, tying for fourth at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and sharing 17th at last week’s Genesis Invitational. It’s unlikely that McIlroy play next week’s Cognizant Classic, an event he added last year, making the Arnold Palmer Invitational his next expected start.