Rory McIlroy shows true colours by turning down £3.1million payday after US Open collapse
Rory McIlroy missed out on his first major championship in ten years at the US Open on Sunday, and has decided not to play at the Travelers this weekend.
Rory McIlroy has turned down the chance to play in the Travelers Championship this weekend after losing the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau. In doing so, he's relinquished the chance to bank a potential $4million (£3.1m) payday.
The 35-year-old announced on social media that he will miss out on the weekend's event after Bryson DeChambeau pipped him in the cruellest possible way in North Carolina. Taking to X on Monday, he wrote: "Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I've had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer.
"Firstly, I'd like to congratulate Bryson. He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that.
"As I reflect on my week, I'll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the 2 missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day. But, as I always try to do, I'll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives.
"As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have. The one word that I could describe my career as is resilient. I've shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again."
McIlroy then announced that he would be taking a break from golf over the next few weeks to refocus, adding: "I'm going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defense at the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon. See you in Scotland."
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It means that McIlroy will not play at the Travelers Championship, which boasts an impressive first place prize of $4m (£3.1m), opting instead to get himself right for The Open.
The eighth and final signature event on the 2024 PGA Tour calendar, some of the world's best golfers will go head to head between June 20 and June 23 - including Jason Day, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler and Scottie Scheffler.
McIlroy's withdrawal from the tournament comes after DeChambeau prevented him from achieving his first major title since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla in brutal fashion. While Rory would look all but set to lift the US Open at the weekend going into the last five holes two strokes up, the pressure forced him to miss par putts from within four feet on the 16th and 18th.
DeChambeau would clinch the second major title of his career after a four-foot putt of his own on the 18th at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday, leading McIlroy to swerve media and skip the presentation ceremony shortly after Bryson's final ball sank.