Rory McIlroy reveals reason for RBC Heritage withdrawal
Rory McIlroy has broken his silence after withdrawing from the RBC Heritage as he makes his PGA Tour return at the Wells Fargo Championship
Rory McIlroy has revealed why he withdrew from the RBC Heritage following his disappointing missed cut at the Masters.
According to Golf Channel, McIlroy explained at the Wells Fargo Championship, “I needed a break for me. Obviously, after the disappointment of Augusta, it’s been a pretty taxing 12 months mentally.
“So it was nice to just try to disconnect and get away from it. But it’s nice to come back and feel refreshed.
“I think I’m in a better headspace than I was – that run-up to Augusta is always a stressful enough couple of weeks trying to make sure everything’s in the right order and making sure your game’s in good shape.
“It was a nice reset because I still had to realise that there’s three more majors this year, there’s a ton left to play for.”
After many fancied McIlroy to complete the career grand slam at Augusta National, he struggled to rounds of 72 and 77 to miss the weekend.
Inevitable disappointment at this was the presumed reason for dropping out of the RBC Heritage, an elevated purse event in which the best players on the PGA Tour are expected to compete.
McIlroy skipped the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January, using the rule where players can withdraw from one designated tournament.
The four-time major champion has become a senior figure on the tour in his role on the Player Advisory Council, and allegedly played a lead in devising the 2023 schedule.
His absence from the RBC Heritage came as a surprise for this reason, and it brought comments from some of his peers.
“Rules are the rules. So, I mean, for the most part, a lot of what he wanted is what’s happening,” he said. “And the irony is that he’s not here.”
“I feel like Rory was leading the charge on the changes that have been made and he helped make the rules,” Joel Dahmen added on the subject.
“He knew what the rules were. So, he knew what was coming. He also has so much money, he doesn’t care about $3 million.
As Dahmen alluded to at the time, McIlroy was reportedly docked $3 million from his Player Impact Program bonus for not fulfilling the requirements as part of the initiative.
Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
