Rory McIlroy has described his US Open collapse on Sunday as ‘probably the toughest’ day of his career and has withdrawn from this week’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
With a two-shot lead, McIlroy hit three bogeys over the last five holes, missing two putts by a combined distance of eight feet. He fled the course a few minutes after Bryson DeChambeau took the win.
In a statement on social media on Monday, McIlroy said: ‘Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my almost 17 years as a professional golfer.
“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 that far outweigh the negatives.
Rory McIlroy has spoken out for the first time about his dramatic US Open implosion
‘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 will be held on July 11, meaning McIlroy has almost a month until his next match.
Monday’s statement is McIlroy’s first comment since his catastrophic collapse. He fled the course within minutes of DeChambeau’s victory and refused to speak to the media.
And McIlroy’s time away from golf also comes at a turbulent time in his personal life.
Last week, on the eve of the US Open, he announced he was calling off his divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll.
Just a month ago, before the PGA Championship in May, McIlroy announced that he and Erica were splitting because their marriage was “irretrievably broken.”
But on Tuesday before the tournament, McIlroy said in a statement: ‘There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to every rumor is a fool’s game.
“Over the past few weeks, Erica and I have come to the realization that our best future was together as a family. Fortunately, we have resolved our differences and are looking forward to a new beginning.”
On Monday, the couple was photographed together for the first time since the divorce was called off. They were spotted spending time with their daughter Poppy.
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