PGA Tour

Why Rory McIlroy's Withdrawal From RBC Heritage Reportedly Will Cost Him Millions

McIlroy withdrew from the tournament days after missing the cut at the Masters

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Rory McIlroy backing out of the RBC Heritage Classic was a multi-million-dollar decision.

The four-time major champion withdrew from this week's tournament in Hilton Head, South Carolina just days after he failed to make the cut at the 2023 Masters Tournament. Now, he's going to lose out on $3 million in Player Impact bonus money for missing a second designated event, GolfChannel.com confirmed.

Sports Illustrated was first to report the news.

McIlroy was one of 23 golfers to be awarded bonus money through the PGA Tour's $100 million Player Impact Program (PIP) in 2022, with his $12 million prize only trailing Tiger Woods' $15 million. The PIP was introduced in 2021 to reward golfers who generate the most interest in the sport.

Golfers received 75% of their PIP money earlier this year and would get the other 25% after fulfilling certain obligations, with one of them being to play at least 16 of 17 designated events in 2023. But McIlroy has now missed two of those designated events after withdrawing from the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January.

It's unclear why McIlroy opted not to partake in the RBC Heritage Classic. After finishing second in the 2022 Masters, he missed the cut for the second time in three years at Augusta National with a score of 5 over. The Masters is the only major championship the 33-year-old McIlroy has not won yet.

The RBC Heritage Classic began on Thursday. Viktor Hovland held the lead through one round at 7 under.

The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship are golf's majors. Here’s what to know about the PGA Tour's biggest tournaments in 2023.
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