After falling badly in the final round of the US Open on Sunday at Pinehurst No. 2, four-time champion Rory McIlroy said in a statement released by X on Monday that he will take a few weeks off to “reassess everything.” never support myself.”
McIlroy was scheduled to play in this week’s Traveler Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut — the final signature event of the season. He revealed in a statement that he will not play again until next month’s Genesis Scottish Open, which he won in 2023, and The Open at Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland.
McIlroy, seeking to end a nearly 10-year drought without a major tournament victory, had a 2-over lead with five holes to play at the US Open on Sunday. But he bogeyed three of the last four holes, missing a 2½-foot par on the 16th and a 3-foot, 9-inch putt for par on the 18th.
Bryson DeChambeau won his second US Open title when he hit a shot from a fairway bunker onto the 18th green and made a par putt to finish at 6 under — one stroke ahead of McIlroy.
McIlroy watched DeChambeau’s winning putt on TV from the golf course at Pinehurst No. 2. He left the lecture less than 10 minutes later without speaking to the media.
“First of all, I’d like to congratulate Bryson,” McIlroy said in a statement. “He’s a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that.”
McIlroy said he would “fix a few things during the tournament,” particularly the missed putts on Nos. 16 and 18.
“But, as I always try to do, I’ll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives,” McIlroy said. “Like I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next big title than ever before. The one word I can describe is tenacity. I showed a lot of tenacity in the last one. I’m 17 years old and I’ll be back.”
McIlroy’s last championship victory came in August 2014 at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Since then, he has posted top-10 finishes at majors, including nine top-5s.
This is not the first time McIlroy has taken a break after being disappointed. After missing the 2023 Masters, where McIlroy failed for the ninth time to win the green jacket and complete his career Grand Slam, he skipped the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the following week.
It was McIlroy’s second time to miss the signing ceremony for the 2022-23 season, forfeiting $3 million of his $12 million Player Impact Program bonus starting in 2022.
It was a difficult time for McIlroy as well coming off the course. On May 14, McIlroy filed for divorce from his wife, Erica, in family court in Palm Beach County, Florida. On June 11, McIlroy’s attorney filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss the divorce petition. McIlroy told The Guardian in London that he has reconciled with his wife.
After Sunday’s conclusion, other PGA Tour golfers came to McIlroy’s defense. Shane Lowry, who paired with McIlroy to win the Zurich Classic team event in New Orleans earlier this season, wrote on X on Monday: “From the outside looking in… this game is easy. But it’s actually the worst game ever. .We are lucky to find what we are doing in this game but in the last 24 hours we are not only doing it for ourselves but we are doing it for our family, friends and fans in our game but I like to encourage people if someone asks me to be kind.”
In response to McIlroy’s statement, Billy Horschel, who spoke about his struggles at the Memorial in 2023, called McIlroy “the greatest player of my generation,” and said other majors are in his future on his Instagram account.
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