Golf fans won’t be seeing Rory McIlroy on the PGA Tour for the next few weeks.
The number 2 player in the world announced in X who is taking some time off after suffering a brutal collapse in the final round of the US Open on Sunday at Pinehurst No. 2.
The Northern Ireland man looked on course to end a nearly decade-long drought without major championships, but bogeys on three of the final four holes allowed Bryson DeChambeau to win in dramatic fashion.
McIlroy was scheduled to play at this week’s Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, but announced he was withdrawing.
He will also skip the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit and the John Deere Classic in Illinois before playing next month’s Genesis Scottish Open, which he won in 2023, and the Open at Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland.
In a statement, McIlroy said DeChambeau was “a worthy champion” and “exactly what professional golf needs right now,” but was clearly despondent after falling short in a major once again.
The four-time major champion received some criticism for leaving Pinehurst, declining interviews and skipping congratulations after DeChambeau clinched the title.
RELATED: Why Bryson DeChambeau was left off the US Olympic golf roster
But McIlroy confirmed that he will take time off to “process everything and rebuild myself” and that he will “regret some things over the course of the tournament,” mainly the missed putts on Nos. 16 and 18.
“But, as I always try to do, I will look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives,” McIlroy said. “As I said at the beginning of the tournament, I feel closer than ever to winning my next major championship. The only word I would describe my career is resilient. “I have demonstrated resilience time and time again over the past 17 years and I will do so again.”
McIlroy’s last major championship victory came in August 2014 at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. Since then, he has achieved 20 top 10 finishes at major tournaments, including nine top 5s.
His latest flaw also comes amid the off-course tumult. On May 14, McIlroy filed for divorce from his wife, Erica, in the family court of Palm Beach County, Florida, but it was dismissed on June 11. McIlroy told The Guardian that he had reconciled with his wife.
Several of McIlroy’s teammates have come to his defense after his latest close loss, including Ireland’s Shane Lowry, who won the Zurich Classic with McIlroy earlier this year.
“What Rory has been through is the hardest thing in our game, but I would like to encourage people to be kind.” Lowry wrote in X.
On Instagram, Billy Horschel called McIlroy the “greatest player of my generation” and said there were more majors in his future.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.