Rory McIlroy withdraws from RBC Heritage after missing Masters cut
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Rory McIlroy during the second round of the Masters. The Northern Irishman missed the cut.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from this week’s RBC Heritage event at Harbour Town, the PGA Tour said on Monday, after the world No. 3 failed to make the cut at the Masters last week.
No reason was specified for his withdrawal.
The RBC Heritage is a designated event, meaning players ranked in the top 20 of the Player Impact Programme (PIP) are required to participate.
The PIP was created to reward golfers for boosting engagement and publicity in the PGA Tour.
Players are allowed to skip one designated event for personal or professional reasons, but McIlroy already sat out of the season-opening Sentry Tournament of Champions in January.
A second absence from a designated event could potentially cost him his bonus money from the PIP, which is distributed at the end of the season.
The Northern Irishman’s bid for a career Grand Slam ended when he shot a disappointing second-round 77. Heading into the Masters, he was seen as a strong favourite to win his first green jacket at Augusta National.
The year’s first Major was won by Spaniard Jon Rahm, who regained the world No. 1 ranking.
McIlroy, who captured the last of his four Majors in 2014, had been hoping to win the Masters so that he could join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods as the only players to achieve the career Slam.
The 33-year-old will not be replaced by an alternate, according to the PGA Tour, with the field reduced to 143 players for the tournament on Hilton Head Island, where three-time Major winner Jordan Spieth is the defending champion.
Jason Day, Alex Noren and Will Zalatoris have also withdrawn from the event.
Zalatoris announced on Monday that he underwent back surgery and will be out for the remainder of the season.
The 26-year-old wrote on Instagram: “After careful consideration and seeking multiple medical opinions, I underwent a successful microdiscectomy on Saturday.
“As much as I hate not being able to play the rest of this season, I am happy that I am already seeing the benefits of the procedure.
“Playing and living in pain is not fun. I look forward to making a full recovery and seeing everyone in the fall.
“Thank you to everyone for the support and the messages. I look forward to getting back to 100 per cent.” REUTERS
