Rory McIlroy has turned down the chance to play in the Travelers Championship this weekend after losing the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau. In doing so, he’s relinquished the chance to bank a potential $4million (£3.1m) payday.
The 35-year-old stated on social media that he will not be participating in the upcoming event, as Bryson DeChambeau narrowly defeated him in a particularly harsh manner in North Carolina. Sharing on X platform on Monday, he expressed, “Yesterday was a challenging day, possibly the most difficult I have experienced in my almost 17-year career as a professional golfer.”
To begin with, I want to offer my congratulations to Bryson. He is a deserving winner and is precisely the type of player that the world of professional golf requires at this moment.
It is a sentiment that I believe we can all share. When I think back on my week, there are a few regrets I have from the tournament, particularly the two missed putts on holes 16 and 18 on the last day. However, I will focus on the positives of the week, which outweigh the negatives, as I usually do.
“As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have. The one word that I could describe my career as is resilient. I’ve shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again.”
McIlroy later stated that he planned to temporarily step away from golf in order to regroup and prepare for upcoming tournaments.
He mentioned his intention to use this break to reflect on recent events and to prepare himself for the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon. He concluded by stating that he looks forward to seeing everyone in Scotland.
McIlroy will not participate in the Travelers Championship and will focus on preparing for The Open, which offers a substantial first-place prize of $4m (£3.1m).
The last significant event in the 2024 PGA Tour schedule will feature top golfers such as Jason Day, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, and Scottie Scheffler competing from June 20 to June 23. McIlroy decided to pull out of the tournament following DeChambeau’s actions that prevented him from winning his first major championship since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla in a tough manner.
Despite being in a strong position to win the US Open over the weekend and being two strokes ahead with only five holes to go, Rory was unable to handle the pressure and ended up missing par putts from less than four feet on the 16th and 18th hole.
“DeChambeau secured his second major title by sinking a four-foot putt on the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday. This led McIlroy to avoid the media and skip the presentation ceremony right after Bryson’s final shot.”
