World No. 3 Rory McIlroy withdrew from this week’s RBC Heritage, the PGA Tour announced Monday.
By doing so, McIlroy will miss his second designated event and risks losing $3 million of his $12 million Player Impact Program bonus.
No reason was specified for the 33-year-old Northern Ireland star’s withdrawal from the RBC Heritage, which begins Thursday at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
McIlroy missed the cut at last week’s Masters after carding a 5-over 77 on Friday.
The RBC Heritage is one of 17 designated events, meaning players ranked in the top 20 of the Tour’s Player Impact Program are required to participate.
Players are allowed to skip one designated event for personal or professional reasons, but McIlroy already sat out of the season-opening Sentry Tournament of Champions in January.
McIlroy could be excused if this week’s absence is due to an injury, family emergency or “extraordinary circumstances” as outlined in the PIP.
“The Commissioner, in his sole discretion, may modify, waive, or adjust eligibility requirements, program commitments and/or program metrics based on extraordinary circumstances,” the PIP footnote states.
Jason Day and Alex Noren also withdrew from the RBC Heritage. Day finished 18th in the PIP while Noren was not among the top 23 players and has no obligations.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
