Rory McIlroy will not play the Dubai Desert Classic next week on the European Tour because of a lingering rib injury, according to the European Tour.

This will be the second-straight tournament missed by McIlroy because of a stress fracture in his rib. He was also slated to play the Abu Dhabi Championship last week before withdrawing.

"In situations like this, you simply have to listen to the experts, and the team I have consulted have all advised me to rest until my rib has fully recovered," McIlroy said at the time.

Next week's Dubai Desert Classic has been a staple of McIlroy's early schedule for years. The sponsor of the tournament (Omega watches) is also a McIlroy sponsor. He has also won the event twice (2009 and 2015). This year's could be a fun one, too, as Tiger Woods is also scheduled to tee it up.

McIlroy pulling out of this tournament so soon (it doesn't start for 10 more days) is interesting. It tells me he's going to be extremely cautious in the time leading up to the Masters in April -- as he should be. No matter how he's feeling a week or so from now, he was not going to risk further injuring the stress fracture by playing.

McIlroy's return could come at the Genesis Open at Riviera on the PGA Tour on Feb. 16. That is the next event he has on his 2017 schedule, and it will be hosted by Woods. McIlroy finished T20 at that tournament in 2016.