Rory McIlroy is taking part in within the Wells Fargo Championship this week, marking his first PGA Tour occasion since he missed the lower on the 2023 Masters in early April.
In his first information convention since his disappointing end on the Masters, McIlroy didn’t mince phrases about how his final defeat at a serious felt.
“It sucked. It sucked,” McIlroy informed Tuesday, per ESPN. “It is not the efficiency I clearly thought I used to be going to place up, nor was it the efficiency I needed. Simply extremely disappointing.”
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McIlroy entered the 12 months’s first main match as the favourite to win the inexperienced jacket. Doing so would have accomplished his profession grand slam, a feat he has been vying for since he received his third leg — The Open Championship — in 2014.
As an alternative, he shot a cumulative 5-over by way of his first two rounds to overlook the lower by a large margin. After that, McIlroy determined to take a number of weeks off from the PGA Tour to get his thoughts proper.
“I wanted a while to regroup,” he defined. “And give attention to what’s forward.”
McIlroy opted to not play within the PGA Tour’s three ensuing occasions after the Masters. That drew some controversy, because the occasion instantly following the Masters — the RBC Heritage — was a delegated occasion with a handbag of $20 million.
McIlroy’s non-participation in that occasion resulted in him being fined a whopping $3 million by the PGA Tour. Why? As a result of he had already skipped one of many tour’s designated occasions earlier within the season. And by rule, prime gamers who skip multiple designated occasion will give up 25 p.c of the bonuses they earned by way of the PGA Tour’s Participant Influence Program (PIP) in 2022.
McIlroy had made $12 million from the PIP final season, thus constituting the $3 million wonderful. It might have been waived by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, however he declined to take action.
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Nonetheless, as McIlroy defined, he believed the choice to not play in Hilton Head was price it “so as to get some issues in place.”
“My thoughts would not have been there,” he mentioned. “It was extra vital for me to be at residence than there.”
And now, McIlroy will return to the course for the primary time since his Masters letdown having had time to look again on what he described as “a giant 12 months.”
“I do not know if I absolutely like sat down to essentially mirror on stuff,” he defined. “I by no means actually had an opportunity to consider The Open at St. Andrews and every thing that went on there.
“Simply ton of various stuff, and it was good to have three weeks to only put all that stuff within the rearview mirror and simply type of attempt to give attention to what’s forward: three extra majors, your complete golf season nonetheless to play. It was an excellent three weeks to type of do all that and get refreshed and prepare for the following three months.”
McIlroy would be the favourite when the Wells Fargo Championship tees off on Thursday. It is going to be fascinating to see if he reveals any indicators of rust after a number of weeks away from the course or if he seems to be rejuvenated having had time to recuperate.