− Rory McIlroy shot 5 under on the second nine at Augusta National on the eve of the Masters and said he never felt more ready to win the Masters and complete the career Grand Slam. McIlroy drew criticism for pulling out because he was one of those who helped establish the rule that top players could only miss one of the PGA Tour’s new designated events.CHARLOTTE, N.C. He withdrew from the RBC Heritage the following week, a decision that may cost him $3 million of the $12 million he was to earn as part of the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program bonus. “It sucked,” McIlroy said of missing the cut. He didn’t speak to reporters afterward because a rainstorm forced postponement of the second round and all interviews. Instead, McIlroy shot 72-77, missing the cut by three strokes. “I honestly thought I was gonna have the best Masters I’ve ever had,” said McIlroy, the runner-up at Augusta in 2022. He felt supremely confident after shooting 5 under on the second nine during a practice round the day before the tournament. McIlroy arrived at Augusta National nearly a month ago hoping to complete the career Grand Slam by winning his first Masters. “So I think I just gained a little bit of perspective and once I sort of disconnected from it a little bit, I could see things a little clearer and sort of where everything fits within my life. Rory McIlroy Getty ImagesĮx-manager Chubby Chandler slams Rory McIlroy as PGA Tour ‘mouthpiece’ following Masters drama I’d lost sight of the fact that there’s more to life than the golf world and this little silly squabble that’s going on between tours, and all sorts of stuff. “But I think over the last 12 months, I sort of lost sight of that. “I’ve always thought I’ve had a good handle on the perspective on things and sort of where golf fits within my life, and trying to find purpose outside of golf in some way,” McIlroy said. McIlroy, an outspoken opponent of LIV, said it has been a “tumultuous time” and, after stepping away, he came to realize that golf had “totally consumed” his life. He’s had to deal with a variety of complex and time-consuming issues, including how to best handle the defection of several top players to Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Instead, he said it was the other stresses that engulfed the PGA Tour over the last year, which he has been highly involved in while serving as a player director for the tour’s policy board. While the Masters proved to be a tipping point, McIlroy said it wasn’t his play that prompted him to take a short break. McIlroy is playing this week in the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, where he’s a three-time champion. “It was like, I need to reassess the place I am in my life and what is important to me and what I need to focus my energy on,” McIlroy said Tuesday night in his first comments to reporters in nearly a month. That’s why the world’s third-ranked player didn’t touch his clubs for more than two weeks, went on vacation to Manhattan with his wife, Erica, to celebrate their anniversary, and withdrew from RBC Heritage - a move that may cost him $3 million. Rory McIlroy said he needed “a reset” after missing the cut at the Masters. The controversial Rory McIlroy decision that cost him $3 millionĬHARLOTTE, N.C. PGA Tour stars confused by Rory McIlroy’s ‘ironic’ - and costly decision Seven compelling storylines for 2023 PGA ChampionshipĮx-manager slams Rory McIlroy as PGA Tour ‘mouthpiece’ following Masters drama
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