'I Needed Some Time to Regroup': Rory McIlroy Explains Skipping Event After Masters
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rory McIlroy said he knew skipping a second designated event on the PGA Tour three weeks ago could mean forfeiting a substantial sum of bonus money, but that he needed the time away after a disappointing missed cut at the Masters.
McIlroy, speaking to reporters Tuesday night at a FedEx function related to this week’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, said "his mind wouldn’t be" at the RBC Heritage. "And I needed to be home."
By skipping the tournament, McIlroy—who was at the forefront of the new designated event system put in place this year—subjected himself to forfeiture of 25 percent of his Player Impact Program Bonus.
According to the PGA Tour, McIlroy received $9 million of the $12 million he earned. That means he potentially will miss out on $3 million.
"We certainly have our minimums, we obviously signed up for this designated-event series this year," McIlroy said. “I obviously knew the consequences that could come with missing one of those. It was an easy decision, but I felt like if that fine or whatever is to happen was worth that for me in order to get some things in place."
As part of the program that is seeing 12 designated events outside of the major championships and Players Championship, players were allowed to opt out of one event, then subject to financial penalties if they skipped a second event.
McIlroy did not play the very first designated event, the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Asked if he spoke to commissioner Jay Monahan about not getting the remainder of the bonus, McIlroy said: "I had my reasons not to play Hilton Head. I expressed those to Jay and whether he thinks that is enough to warrant ... look, again, I understood the consequences of that decision before I made it. So whatever happens, happens."
Neither the PGA Tour or Monahan has commented on McIlroy’s absence or whether he will forego the bonus.
The decision to skip was controversial because McIlroy was a leading force in getting the PGA Tour to push forward to have more events with the top-ranked players, most of them with $20 million purses, in response to LIV Golf starting a new tour with huge upfront bonuses and big purses.
Next year, there will be no requirement to play the designated events as has been the case this year, but a majority of them are expected to not have a 36-hole cut, which means guaranteed money for those who participate.
McIlroy’s decision to step away stemmed from his poor performance at the Masters, where he was a pre-tournament favorite along with eventual winner Jon Rahm. McIlroy was trying for ninth straight year to complete the career grand slam and has typically gotten off to slow starts at Augusta National. He opened with a 72 and was seven strokes back of leaders Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Viktor Hovland, then shot 74 in the second round to miss the cut.
"It sucked. It sucked," McIlroy said in his first public comments since the Masters. "It’s not the performance I obviously thought I was going to put up. Nor was it the performance I wanted. Just incredibly disappointing. But I needed some time to regroup. And focus on what’s ahead."
"I think the last 12 months with everything that’s went on ... it’s been a big 12 months. I don’t know I fully, like, sat down to really reflect on stuff. I never really had a chance to think about the Open at St. Andrews (where he was the 54-hole co-leader and finished two back of winner Cam Smith) and everything that went on there.
"It was nice to have three weeks to just put all that stuff in the rearview mirror and focus on what’s ahead. Three more majors. The entire golf season still to play. It was a good three weeks to sort of do all that and get refreshed and get ready for the next few months."
McIlroy, who has won three times at Quail Hollow, including the last time it was played here in 2021, is a member of the PGA Tour policy board. He and Tiger Woods organized a meeting in Wilmington, Del., last August and brought together top players to hash out ideas on how to best combat the LIV Golf threat.
A week later, Monahan announced sweeping changes that were put in place for this year. And McIlroy has been a frequent spokesman on the various issue in play.
"I think I needed to put golf in perspective a little more," he said. "I feel like it’s totally consumed my life for the last 12 months. It’s been a pretty tumultuous time and being in the position that I’m in it’s taken up a lot of my time.
"Just putting some perspective on where it sits in my life and all the things I’ve got going on in my life. I sort of needed to reassess everything. That’s what I’m looking forward to going forward and maybe not putting so much into it. And understanding there are other parts of my life that are important."