Rory McIlroy has opted not to play at the Travelers this weekend after missing out on his first major championship in ten years on Sunday at the US Open.
After losing to Bryson DeChambeau in the US Open, Rory McIlroy has declined to compete in this weekend’s Travelers Championship. He’s forfeited the opportunity to potentially earn $4 million (£3.1 million) by doing this.
The 35-year-old revealed on social media that Bryson DeChambeau’s brutal upset of him in North Carolina this past weekend will prevent him from attending the event. “Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer,” he wrote on X on Monday.
“Let me start by congratulating Bryson. He is a deserving champion and the perfect addition to professional golf at this time. On that, I think we can all agree.
“When I look back on my week, I’ll regret a few things that happened during the competition, mainly the two putts that I missed on the last day on holes 16 and 18. I will, however, focus on the positives of the week, which far outweigh the negatives, as I always try to do.
“I feel like I’m closer than ever to taking home my next major championship, as I stated at the beginning of the competition. Resilient is the one word I would use to sum up my career. Throughout the past 17 years, I have repeatedly demonstrated my resiliency and I will again.
“I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defense at the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon,” McIlroy said about his decision to take a break from golf in order to refocus. I’ll see you in Scotland.
It means that McIlroy will focus on preparing for The Open rather than competing at the Travelers Championship, which offers an amazing $4 million (£3.1 million) first place prize.
Some of the best golfers in the world, including Jason Day, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, and Scottie Scheffler, will square off between June 20 and June 23 at the eighth and final signature event on the 2024 PGA Tour schedule.
McIlroy withdrew from the competition after DeChambeau brutally stopped him from winning his first major championship since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla. Going into the final five holes two strokes ahead, Rory would have looked all but certain to win the US Open this weekend, but the pressure got to him, and he missed par putts from four feet away on the sixteenth and eighteenth holes.
After making his own four-foot putt on the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday, DeChambeau would win the second major of his career. Shortly after Bryson’s last ball sank, McIlroy would swerve the media and skip the presentation ceremony.
