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World number three, Rory Mcilroy, has officially withdrawn from this weekend’s RBC Heritage. The event Is set to get underway on Thursday at Hilton Head in South Carolina with a field of over 130 players expected, however, Mcilroy is set to sit it out.
His withdrawal was announced directly by the PGA Tour meaning we are still yet to hear from the Northern Irishman since his disappointing performance at the Masters last weekend. Mcilroy went into the tournament as the joint favourite alongside Scottie Scheffler but had a miserable time at the prestigious event and missed the cut.
After shooting an even par score of 72 on the opening day at Augusta National, Mcilroy suffered in round two and scored a disastrous 77 to leave himself close to the bottom of the leaderboard. It was a bitterly disappointing few days for Mcilroy who was hoping to complete the career grand slam at Augusta.
After missing the cut, Mcilroy refused to give any television interviews and no official reason has been given for him declining to participate this weekend. The 33-year-old isn’t thought to be injured which has left many to speculate that he is just taking a bit of time out to refocus before the season’s next major championship next month.
Rory McIlroy is a WD from the RBC Heritage. The field is now 143.
WDs will not be replaced by alternates unless needed to fill the field of 132.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) April 10, 2023
A potential fine on the way for Mcilroy
The news of Mcilroy’s withdrawal won’t have gone down well with PGA Tour officials as the RBC Heritage is one of their 12 designated events. These events were created by the players ranked in the top 20 in the world and have been specifically championed by the Northern Irishman in light of the emergence of the LIV Golf Series.
These events all feature a boosted prize fund in a bid to get the world’s best golfers competing against each other more regularly. The top players are allowed to skip one of these designated events each year without punishment, but Mcilroy has already missed one – the season-opening Sentry Tournament of Champions which was won by Jon Rahm.
Missing a second designated event isn’t a good look for Mcilroy, especially when he hasn’t given a reason for his absence and it could cost him bonus money at the end of the season.
Who is playing at the RBC Heritage?
Rory Mcilroy isn’t the only big name who is no-showing the event. Former world number one, Jason Day, has also pulled out of the tournament without giving a reason, although the Australian has been dealing with a recurring back injury in recent times.
Aside from Day and Mcilroy, the field looks stacked. The new Masters champion and world number one, Jon Rahm, is set to tee it up at South Carolina as is Scottie Scheffler, the man Rahm replaced at the top of golf’s world rankings on Sunday. Brooks Koepka, who had the lead for much of the Masters, won’t be taking part as he is a member of the LIV Tour.
Last year, the tournament was won by Jordan Spieth and the 29-year-old is in the field once again this year as he looks to defend his title. Spieth threatened to make a late run at the Masters but ultimately finished in a tie for 4th, five shots behind Rahm.
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