BMW PGA Championship 2019: Rory McIlroy outlines goals for remainder of season - starting at Wentworth

The Northern Irishman has enjoyed a fine year to clinch the PGA Tour's Player of the Year after three victories

Rory McIlroy is looking to close 2019 in style by adding two more wins to match his career-best total for a calendar year (5) – starting with the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this week.

The Irishman has already won three times this year: The Players Championship, Canadian Open and Tour Championship – which helped him clinch the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year award ahead of world No 1 Brooks Koepka.

And McIlroy hopes to close in on the American’s top spot, as well as match his historic five wins from 2012 by earning the win in two of his next five starts.

“I’ve got an opportunity over the next few weeks where there’s a lot of world ranking points so my goal is to get closer, just to try to keep progressing, get a couple more wins,” McIlroy said when assessing the remainder of the year.

“I feel like I’m playing well enough. The most I’ve ever won in a season is five (in 2012). I’d love to at least equal that and try to better that.

“I’ll try not to let my foot off the pedal and finish the year the way I started it on a very positive note. Then I can really enjoy the off-season, or whatever off-season we have, December, January, and reset and go again.”

McIlroy conceded he needed to “drag myself off the sofa” after taking a two-week rest heading into the European Tour‘s flagship event this week.

McIlroy revealed: “To be honest with you, it’s been quite tough. I’m not used to playing this much golf in a short period of time. You used to play a couple weeks on, take a couple weeks off, play another couple weeks.

Rory McIlroy during a practice round at Wentworth (Action Images via Reuters)

“I think I played 13 tournaments in a 16-week stretch. It’s a lot of golf and it’s something we’re going to have to get used to. It’s the new schedule, especially throw in the Olympics next year and the Ryder Cup and everything else.

“That’s why I needed those two weeks on the sofa, just to sort of reset and get myself in the right place mentally to get motivated to go again for this last little bit of the year.”