Rory McIlroy admits a third consecutive Race to Dubai title is now out of his hands after his withdrawal from the Turkish Airlines Open.
McIlroy did not give a reason when informing Tour officials of his decision on Saturday, but it is understood the world number two has security concerns surrounding the first of the three Final Series events.
An explosion in a car parked outside the Antalya Trade and Industry Chamber injured around a dozen people on Tuesday. The £5.7million Turkish Airlines Open will be held at Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort in Antalya.
Earlier this month, European Tour officials investigated reports from Turkish media that two rockets were fired from a mountainous area close to the highway linking the city of Antalya to the resort town of Kemer.
Asked about McIlroy’s withdrawal, a spokesperson for the European Tour said: “We respect all decisions made by our members in relation to competing in tournaments.
“In terms of next week’s Turkish Airlines Open, we are looking forward to the tournament and the start of this year’s Final Series.”
McIlroy finished joint fourth in the WGC-HSBC Champions on Sunday, but trails new Race to Dubai leader Henrik Stenson by more than a million points after the Open champion was joint second in Shanghai to overtake Danny Willett in the standings.
“I guess it’s out of my hands,” McIlroy said. “I took the decision not to go to Turkey next week and those boys can battle it out.
“If I have somewhat of a chance going into Dubai that’s great. But if not, I think over the course of the season they have had big wins and played well.
“They are two major champions, so I’m okay with that.”
Willett is the only member of the top three scheduled to play in all three Final Series events, with Stenson joining his Ryder Cup team-mate in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City.
Depending on exchange rates, the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai is set to offer around £1.2 million points to the winner.
