Rory McIlroy's withdrawal from the RBC Heritage has been defended after the Northern Irishman controversially pulled out of his second elevated event of the 2023 season.
Despite not hitting a single ball, McIlroy proved to be one of the biggest talking points at Harbour Town Golf Links due to his absence. Prior to the event, it was confirmed by the PGA Tour that the four-time major champion would not compete, just days after missing the cut at the Masters.
The decision to pull out was a controversial one, with McIlroy breaking one of the Tour's golden rules by missing his second elevated event of the campaign.
After PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan confirmed 17 tournaments had received 'elevated' status and warned the circuit's top players that they were only able to skip one of those 17 events throughout the year. McIlroy's withdrawal from the RBC Heritage was his second, having already pulled out of the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January.
And the decision is set to be a costly decision for McIlroy, with the 33-year-old poised to lose a whopping $3million (£2.4m) of his Player Impact Programme bonus due to his rule break. Neither the Tour nor McIlroy is yet to reveal the reason behind his decision to pull out.
Sympathy for the Northern Irishman was in short supply from his fellow peers, with Xander Schauffele commenting: "Rules are the rules. So, I mean, for the most part, a lot of what he wanted is what's happening. And the irony is that he's not here.”
Amid the criticism Golf Channel analyst Eamon Lynch has fought McIlroy's corner, claiming the 33-year-old should be given the chance to explain his omission before jumping to conclusions. "It all seems a little bit premature since Rory McIlroy hasn't given a reason for the withdrawal," he told Golf Today.
"When you consider what Rory McIlroy must have known last weekend it adds context to this. He would have known that a withdrawal is going to lead to suggestions - as we just heard from Xander Schauffele - that he is putting himself above the rules that he helped write for the PGA Tour.
"He will also have known - as Joel Dahmen noted - a financial penalty from not collecting a part of his [PIP] bonus from last year which is dependent on him playing these events this year. He will also have known he was going to disappoint RBC as a sponsor...
"Knowing all of that, the fact that Rory McIlroy stayed home tells me that there is something else that is simply more important in his life right now... clearly he is prioritising something else." Following his withdrawal, McIlroy is expected to return to action at the Wells Fargo Championship next month.
