GOLF
Why isn’t Rory McIlroy playing in the Travelers Championship 2024?
World no. 1 Scottie Scheffler heads a stellar field at TPC River Highlands, which doesn’t include McIlroy or Tiger Woods.
As one of the PGA Tour’s eight Signature Events this year, the Travelers Championship 2024 is one of the most lucrative tournaments on the calendar, which has unsurprisingly attracted a stellar field to TPC River Highlands in Connecticut. There is, however, one glaring omission - Rory McIlroy.
The world no. 2 had been due to play in this week’s tournament, as you would have expected given the cash prize on offer. There is a total prize purse of $20 million, with the winner taking home $3.6 million.
Despite that incentive, McIlroy has opted to withdraw from the event as a result of what happened at last week’s US Open.
Why did McIlroy withdraw from the Travelers Championship 2024? When will he play next?
The Northern Irishman was in pole position to claim a first major victory since 2014 going into the last few holes at Pinehurst No. 2. However, three bogeys in the last four holes, which included two missed putts from very close range, allowed Bryson DeChambeau to overtake him at the death.
Crushed by the disappointment, McIlroy left the tournament without speaking to the media but later posted a lengthy statement on social media explaining he would be taking a short break from golf “to process everything”. He also confirmed his next appearance would come at the Genesis Scottish Open, a tournament he won last year, which starts on 14 July.
Rory McIlroy statement confirming short break from golf
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 would describe my career as is resilient. I’ve shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again.
I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon.
See you in Scotland.
As a result of McIlroy’s withdrawal, Chris Gotterup, who won his first PGA Tour title at the Myrtle Beach Classic in May, will play on his own in the first two rounds at the Travelers Championship.
Why isn’t Tiger Woods playing at the Travelers Championship 2024?
15-time major winner Tiger Woods is the other big name who won’t be playing this week, although his absence is less of a surprise. As it stands, the 48-year-old doesn’t meet the criteria to qualify for the PGA Tour’s Signature events.
Qualifying criteria for PGA Tour Signature Events
According to the PGA Tour itself, the qualifying criteria for its Signature Events is as follows:
• Top 50 in the previous season's FedExCup standings (BMW Championship qualifiers)
• Top 10 available and not otherwise exempt from current FedExCup standings (Aon Next 10)
• Top five available and not otherwise exempt FedExCup points earners from the swings leading up to each Signature Event (Aon Swing 5)
• If not exempt from the three categories above: current-year tournament winners and PGA TOUR members in the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking
• Four sponsor exemptions (PGA TOUR members)
• The three player-hosted invitationals will each have one tournament host exemption, which is not restricted to PGA TOUR members.
However, that will change next year. Earlier this week, Woods received a lifetime achievement exemption from the PGA Tour, which will enable him to feature in Signature Events from 2025 onwards if he so wishes. But it came too late for him to plan on being involved in this year’s tournament at TPC River Islands.