PGA Tour golfer left GUTTED after Rory McIlroy’s late withdrawal from Travelers Championship leaves him playing by himself – while the rest of the star-studded field have partners
When the Travelers Championship tees off as a group for the first time this week, there will be only one person on the tee box.
That’s due to the late withdrawal of Rory McIlroy – who announced he would take a short break from golf to deal with his late collapse at the US Open at Pinehurst this week.
But that puts the Travelers in a precarious situation after months of announcing that McIlroy would be in the field at the only PGA Tour event in New England.
It also ensured that one man – Chris Gotterup – started first in the tournament, and he will do it all alone.
He joked about it in a post on Twitter, saying: “Good combination this week.”
Rory McIlroy’s withdrawal from the Travelers Championship meant one golfer would be alone
That golfer is Chris Gotterup – who joked about his ‘pair’ after McIlroy withdrew
With a two-shot lead entering the final five holes, McIlroy carded three bogeys and missed two putts from a combined seven feet.
Within minutes of Bryson DeChambeau sinking his putt for the win, McIlroy fled the course without speaking to the media.
The golfer announced he would be taking a break in a statement he posted on social media.
“Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my almost 17 years as a professional golfer,” McIlroy said.
“First of all, I would 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.
‘When I look back on my week, I will regret a number of things over the course of the tournament, especially the two missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day.
But as I always try, I will look at the positives of the week, which far outweigh the negatives.
‘As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than ever before.
‘The only word I would use to describe my career is resilient. I have shown my resilience time and time again over the past 17 years and I will do so again.
‘I’m going to take a few weeks off from competition to process everything and rebuild myself for my defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon.’
The Scottish Open doesn’t start until July 11, meaning the Irishman will have almost a month off between matches.
As for Gotterup, he will be the first person – and only person – to tee off at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, on Thursday at 8:05 a.m. (the first tee time of the day).
More star-studded pairings include Hideki Matsuyama with last year’s Travelers winner Keegan Bradley, Scottie Scheffler with Max Homa, Wyndham Clark with Jordan Spieth and Shane Lowry with Justin Thomas.