Rory McIlroy is yet to break his silence one week on from missing the cut at the Masters. McIlroy headed to Augusta National in the hope of finally completing the career Grand Slam.
It was not to be for the Northern Irishman though, as a nightmare five-over-par 77 in his second round in Georgia saw him finish on the same score for the week, missing the cut by two shots. After 36 holes to forget, McIlroy avoided any media duties and headed out down Magnolia Lane with his cards close to his chest.
The Northern Irishman could not be kept out of the limelight though, as just days after his missed cut it was confirmed that the 33-year-old had withdrawn from this week's RBC Heritage.
No explanation was given for his withdrawal, but many speculated it may well have had something to do with his disappointing week at Augusta. The decision proved all the more controversial, with this week's tournament at Harbour Town one of the PGA Tour's 17 elevated events.
The elevated - or designated, as they often described - tournaments were brought in by commissioner Jay Monahan as part of the PGA Tour's revamp to thwart the threat of LIV Golf. Whilst it means there is more money on offer to those competing, it came with a number of conditions.
As a result, Monahan informed the Tour's top players that they were only able to skip one of the elevated weeks on the calendar throughout the season, and if this rule was broken a sanction in the form of a reduced Player Impact Programme (PIP) bonus would be handed out.
After withdrawing earlier this week, McIlroy broke this golden rule having already used his one opt-out token for the season at the Sentry Tournament of Champions earlier this year. It was then reported by Sports Illustrated that McIlroy was set to lose out on a whopping $3 million from his PIP payment due to his pull out.
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Amid a dramatic week for McIlroy, the Northern Irishman is still yet to address both his missed cut and controversial withdrawal publicly. The same could also be said for the PGA Tour, who are also yet to officially confirm whether McIlroy has been sanctioned or not.
One man who is competing in the RBC Heritage Scottie Scheffler, and following a whole host of speculation the world No. 2 has called on the Tour to give clarity on the McIlroy situtation. Scheffler said: "It's a lot of money. It's a big deal. A lot of people want to know what's going on."
