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Rory McIlroy, the 21-year-old phenom from Northern Ireland who’s ranked No. 9 in the world, is apparently not mature enough to continue to compete full-time on the PGA Tour — he misses Europe too much. So Sunday night, McIlroy’s manager notified the PGA Tour the young golfer would be focusing on the European Tour next season.

McIlroy said the key was that he was totally unable to concentrate on competing for $10 million during the FedExCup playoffs because of a surprising deep-seated longing to be in Switzerland. “I found myself in America… especially in the FedEx Cup play-off series, just not wanting to be there, especially on the golf course,” said the star who’s barely old enough to drink legally in the US. “I switched on the Golf Channel and began watching the Omega European Masters in Switzerland and thinking to myself I would rather be there instead.”

World No. 1 Lee Westwood of England and World No. 3 Martin Kaymer of Germany have made similar choices to keep their careers Europe-based for next season. McIlroy said 11 or 12 tournaments in America will be plenty, but the mandatory 15 required for full PGA Tour membership was just too much for him:

Sometimes you feel as though you have to be in America just to play the mandatory 15 and, at the start of this year, that was something I really wanted to do. I did that, but I also realized it wasn’t for me … Besides, with the Majors and the WGCs, plus a few other events such as my defense of the Wells Fargo Championship (formerly Quail Hollow Championship) I will still play 11 or 12 there next year, and I will be happy with that.

McIlroy also cited loneliness as a reason for wanting to play fewer tournaments in America. “The thing is that if you are playing well in the States it’s a great place to be but if you’re not it can be a lonely place,” said McIlroy. “Whereas if you are not playing well on the European Tour you still have plenty of mates to hang out with.”

McIlroy has also withdrawn from this week’s European Tour event in Singapore to go back home to Northern Ireland. He expects to return to Asia a week later for a tournament in Hong Kong.