World No.3 Rory McIlroy has all but ruled out a return to Sydney to contest the 2017 Australian Open in November.
Speaking at the World Golf Championship event in Mexico City (starting Friday AEDT), the Northern Irishman said teeing up at The Australian Golf Club from November 23-26 was unlikely.
The four-time major champion, who claims his 2013 Australian Open victory inspired him to win the 2014 British Open and US PGA Championship, is also set to wed American fiancee Erica Stoll in Ireland in April.
"I don't know if this year's a possibility," McIlroy told AAP.
"It's hard, because I'm about to have an American wife and the Australian Open is always the week of Thanksgiving, which is a pretty big week in our household for us.
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"I want to get back to Australia; I love it down there. The win in 2013 springboarded me to (two majors) in 2014."
Former world No.1 McIlroy returns to competition at the 77-man WGC event in Mexico, which boasts 49 of the world's top 50 in the field, after six weeks of rehabilitation for a stress fracture to his rib.
The 28-year-old admits it was "tough" to watch from the sidelines as American Dustin Johnson took the No.1 ranking while No.4 Hideki Matsuyama, No.5 Jordan Spieth, No.8 Justin Thomas and No.9 Rickie Fowler all bagged US PGA Tour victories.
"It's been tough to miss all these weeks sitting at home, especially with those guys winning," said McIlroy.
"There are a lot of guys up there near the No.1 spot in the world."
But the 27-year-old was given a glowing endorsement from Australian world No.7 Adam Scott, who said McIlroy was the "more accomplished" golfer among the game's elite.
"That's a very nice compliment to get, especially for Adam to say, who has won a lot on tour and is a major champion and a former world No.1," said McIlroy.
"It would be nice to get on a run like I did in 2014 and separate myself from the rest of the guys."
With Mexico City's Club de Golf Chapultepec sitting at 7,835 feet above sea level, it is the highest altitude of any course on the US PGA Tour.
McIlroy and Johnson - two of the longest drivers in the sport - are predicted to carry the ball up to 10 per cent further than normal.
"I didn't expect the ball to go as far as it was going. It's obviously quite an altitude here," said McIlroy.
