When asked about his showing at the 2023 Masters, golf superstar Rory McIlroy had a simple review of his performance: “It sucked.”
Rory McIlroy is currently one of the best golfers on the planet and will likely be looked at as one of the very best of his generation. He has won 23 PGA Tour tournaments during his career and owns four majors victories, including the PGA Championship (twice), and the U.S. Open.
However, there has been one legendary championship that has evaded him, The Masters. The yearly event at Augusta National is one of the most prestigious in the sport, but his failings there have blocked him from earning the career grand slam.
Related: Rory McIlroys $3 million PGA Tour fine gives him a new reason to ponder move to LIV Golf
In April, he entered the event as a favorite but his ninth attempt at winning was one of his worst yet as the 33-year-old was not able to make the cut after round two. It was a shocking showing for the player currently ranked third in the World Golf Rankings.
Ahead of his return to the course at the Wells Fargo Championship this week, Rory McIlroy was asked about his result at The Masters and the Englishman was quite honest in his personal assessment.
“It sucked. It sucked. It’s not the performance I obviously thought I was going to put up. Nor was it the performance I wanted. Just incredibly disappointing. But I needed some time to regroup. And focus on what’s ahead.”
– Rory McIlroy [h/t Sports Illustrated]
Rory McIlroy says losing millions in PGA Tour suspension an ‘easy decision’
A major story last month was the fact that Rory McIlroy passed on competing at the RBC Heritage, which was his second withdrawl this year after missing the Sentry Tournament of Champions. The withdrawal ended up costing him $3 million in a PGA Tour fine after he failed to meet his obligations as part of the Player Impact Program (PIP).
Well, while that would be a big hit to most atheletes, McIlroy felt it was the right thing to do just to get some space away from the game after his horrid showing at The Masters.
“We certainly have our minimums, we obviously signed up for this designated-event series this year. I obviously knew the consequences that could come with missing one of those. It was an easy decision, but I felt like if that fine or whatever is to happen was worth that for me in order to get some things in place.”
– Rory McIlroy
The PIP rewards top stars with millions in bonuses for competing in specific events for the Tour each year. Through the program, top players need to compete in 12 designated events this season, and are only allowed to miss one.