RORY MCILROY AND SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER'S ABSENCE FROM JOHN DEERE CLASSIC EXPLAINED
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will both skip the John Deere Classic this weekend as they are both managing their schedules.
The world no.1 and world no.2 golf stars on the planet will not be gracing the greens at TPC Deere Run. Both golfers are currently fine-tuning their schedules ahead of The Open, each for distinct reasons.
McIlroy is still licking his wounds after a gut-wrenching defeat at the US Open, where a trio of late bogeys handed Bryson DeChambeau the major on a silver platter. With the Open now less than a fortnight away, the John Deere Classic would appear to be an ideal warm-up to regain some form and pocket a cool $1.44m (£1.13m) in prize money.
Yet, the world's top two players will be notably absent as they are both on a break from the sport.
The Classic falls within the three-week break the Northern Irishman vowed to take following his US Open heartache. He revealed the hiatus in a tweet on X which said: "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 two 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 defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and the Open at Royal Troon. See you in Scotland."
Meanwhile, Scheffler won't be hitting the greens in Illinois as he's become more selective about the tournaments he participates in. Despite being eligible, the world no.1 has chosen to take a fortnight off following his victory in the Travelers Championship before jetting off to Europe.
This year, he's swung his way through 15 events, claiming victory in six of them. Given the timing, it seems he's carefully planned his calendar around the year's main events. Scheffler will likely compete in the Genesis Scottish Open before heading to Royal Troon for the Open Championship, which he is bidding to win for the very first time.
The New Jersey-born golfer will also be teeing off at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer, joining Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark on the course.
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2024-07-04T06:16:07Z dg43tfdfdgfd