Rory sick of easy European Tour setups: 'It's not a good test'

Rory McIlroy ripped the European Tour for its easy course setups Sunday after shooting 15-under to finish outside the top 25 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

"I'm sort of honestly sick of coming back over to the European Tour and shooting 15-under par and finishing 30th," McIlroy said, according to Golf Digest's John Huggan.

The Alfred Dunhill - which McIlroy played with his father - is a pro-am event. Such events typically have easier setups to accommodate the amateurs.

The tournament is hosted on three iconic Scottish courses: The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie Golf Links, and Kingsbarns Golf Links. With very little wind in Scotland, players picked the links-style courses apart. France's Victor Perez won at 22-under par.

"I don't think the courses are set up hard enough," McIlroy continued. "There are no penalties for bad shots. It's tough when you come back and it's like that. I don't feel like good golf is rewarded as well as it could be."

The Northern Irishman played a heavy PGA Tour schedule in 2018-19, putting his European Tour membership in jeopardy. But he reached an agreement in September with European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley, allowing him to maintain his standing if he added three of the circuit's Rolex Series events to his schedule.

One of those tournaments was the Scottish Open, in which McIlroy finished tied for 34th at 13-under.

"It's not a good test," the 30-year-old said. "I think if the European Tour wants to put forth a really good product, the golf courses and setups need to be tougher."

Coincidentally, McIlroy won the Canadian Open at 22-under par in June.