Rory McIlroy doesn’t need no stinkin’ belly putter

Rory McIlroy didn’t get to the mountain top using one of those soon-to-be extinct anchored putters and probably cares little if golf’s overlords issue a cease-and-desist order on them on Wednesday. The young Ulsterman may have an opinion about the uproar that the planned changes to St. Andrews’ Old Course are causing throughout the golf world but has yet to tweet his horror about such sacrilege.

But now that we have your attention regarding this week’s hot button issues, what we do know is that the world No. 1 will be true to his word and play fewer tournaments in 2013 than he did this year, according to Golf by Tour Miss, which released McIlroy’s playing calendar for the upcoming season.

As he previously noted, McIlroy will join his pal Tiger Woods and kick off the 2013 campaign at January’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. He will also, apparently, dare to defy Arnold Palmer, who earlier this year quipped that he would break the lad’s arm if he skipped Bay Hill. Rather than make The King happy, McIlroy will warm up for the Masters by teeing it up at the Houston Open two weeks prior to Augusta.

Here’s where Golf by Tour Miss believes the two-time major champ will start in 2013:

McIlroy purportedly has yet to decide if he’ll play the Alfred Dunhill Links (October 4-7), WGC-HSBC Championship (October 31-November 3), and the Hong Kong Open (date to be determined).