Key Highlights :
Rory McIlroy has been in the news a lot lately, and for all the wrong reasons. The world’s number one golfer was controversially pulled out of his second elevated event of the PGA Tour season at the RBC Heritage, which is set to cost $3 million of his Player Impact Programme bonus. The decision to pull out of the event was made after McIlroy was assessed a two-stroke penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard at the Sony Open in Hawaii. This penalty drops him from first to third place in the FedEx Cup standings and means that he will not earn a bonus of $2.5 million for finishing in the top three in the FedEx Cup. This decision has caused a lot of division amongst the golfing community, with some arguing that McIlroy should have pulled out of the event to protect his bonus and others saying that he should have fought the penalty.
There are a few factors that need to be considered when making this decision. Firstly, McIlroy’s ranking in the FedEx Cup standings is very important. If he finishes in the top three, he will earn a $2.5 million bonus. If he finishes fourth or lower, he will not earn the bonus. The second factor to consider is McIlroy’s playing schedule. He has already played two elevated events this season, and playing another would take away from his preparation for the US Open, which is his main goal this season. The final factor to consider is McIlroy’s injury. He has been struggling with a back injury for a while now, and playing another elevated event could further aggravate the injury.
There are a lot of people who are arguing about whether or not Rory McIlroy should have pulled out of the RBC Heritage. The decision that he made is a difficult one, but it is the right one for him and for his career.