Thursday 3 September 2015 12:25, UK
Rory McIlroy has been handed a special exemption by the European Tour to enable him to play in the season-ending Final Series and compete in fewer events than other players.
The world No 1 missed several of his scheduled appearances, including the Scottish Open and the Open Championship, after rupturing his ankle ligaments playing football with friends, meaning he has featured just nine times on the Race to Dubai this season.
Although the criteria is for players to compete in 13 tournaments per season to remain in the Race to Dubai, an agreement reached between McIlroy and the European Tour's chief executive Keith Pelley means the Northern Irishman will only need to appear in 12 events in total.
"These are exceptional circumstances and I have taken this situation and the resulting decision very seriously," Pelley said.
"I have spent the last two weeks examining every angle and every possible solution and I have spoken with Rory and his team, as well as independent medical advisers and some prominent players.
"After reviewing and discussing all the medical reports and recommendations, while at the same time recognising that Rory is a world golfer with global commitments, I am convinced that he could not commit to any further tournament participation without risking further injury and persistent weakness to the ankle in the future.
"Therefore, after lengthy discussions, I have given him approval to play a minimum of 12 European Tour events this year."
McIlroy currently tops the Race to Dubai standings ahead of Danny Willett and Louis Oosthuizen as the 26-year-old looking to win the title for a third time four years, with officials using the discretion to ensure their star name is not absent from their showpiece finale.
The Final Series begins with the Turkish Airlines Open at the end of October, takes in the WGC-Champions event and BMW Masters in China, before the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November.
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