London, September 2

Rory McIlroy will be able to play in European Tour’s Final Series tournaments after being given special exemption due to his ankle injury.

The injury, sustained in a football kickabout with friends in July, meant that the world No 1 was unable to meet the 13-event qualification standard in order to remain in the Race to Dubai even though he currently leads the rankings. The Northern Irishman had to sit out the Scottish Open, the Open at St Andrews and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, which would have all worked towards his qualifying tally.

However, after discussions with the European Tour, McIlroy has committed to play a further three events to take his tally to 12 and, as a result, officials have used their discretion to ensure their star name is not absent from their showpiece finale. “These are exceptional circumstances and I have taken this situation and the resulting decision very seriously,” said Keith Pelley.

The Final Series begins with the Turkish Airlines Open, takes in the WGC-Champions event and BMW Masters, before climaxing at the DP World Tour Championship. European Tour officials made the obvious decision to offer dispensation to McIlroy in order to protect both their short and long-term investments.