Rory McIlroy Ran Afoul of This Year's Designated Event Rules, But He'll Be O.K.

There's irony in McIlroy likely losing a chunk of his PIP money with his RBC Heritage absence, but his status as a leader will remain solid.

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For a guy who has played the RBC Heritage just twice in his career, Rory McIlroy sure created a lot of chatter at Hilton Head Island, S.C., and around the golf world last week.

Such is the life of one of the game’s most popular players and one who took on a leadership role as the PGA Tour sought to strengthen its position by enriching its top players, admittedly in response to the LIV Golf league threat.

While many of the changes we’ve seen occur over the past year and into next year could quite possibly have come about in time, there’s no way they happen this fast without LIV Golf’s plucking of several top players, leading to the meeting McIlroy and Tiger Woods convened last August in Wilmington, Del.

Those efforts led to the creation of designated events, a system that is already being tweaked for next year but that is requiring those who have been bestowed a bonus pool of $100 million in Player Impact Program riches to compete in a minimum number of events.

Specifically, players this year are having to compete in 11 of the 12 designated events while adding three more tournaments of their choosing, one in conjunction with the Tour. The four majors and the Players bring the total to 20 events. Players were asked to play in 19 and were allowed one opt-out.

That is where McIlroy ran afoul of the rules. He decided to take his opt-out at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January, electing to sit out the very first designated event, and thus opened his 2023 season in Dubai.

But when he pulled out of the RBC Heritage last week after missing the cut at the Masters, McIlroy had now skipped two designated events. And in the fine print of the regulations put out last year and amended earlier this year, a player who misses more than one is subject to foregoing some of his PIP money.

McIlroy finished second to Woods ($15 million) in the PIP, earning a $12 million bonus, $9 million of which was paid in January. The remaining $3 million was to come after completion of the designated event mandate, as well as a few other minor Tour stipulations.

By missing a second tournament, McIlroy put his bonus money in peril. Commissioner Jay Monahan has discretion to pay out the bonus anyway, depending on circumstances, but the Tour has not denied that McIlroy will not be getting the remaining $3 million.

The problem is, the Tour has not made this official, nor has Monahan or McIlroy commented.

All of which leads any doubters to wonder.

“Rules are rules,’’ Xander Schauffele told Sports Illustrated’s Alex Miceli at Hilton Head. “So, I mean, for the most part, a lot of what he wanted is what’s happening. And the irony is that he’s not here.’’

Schauffele and Rickie Fowler said the Tour should explain the situation.

“I think that’s a big thing that’s been talked about for the last year, is having more transparency and just good communication between players and the Tour,’’ Fowler said. “I think that includes you (the media) as well. And ultimately, the more transparency and the more everyone’s on the same page, the better.’’

The guess here—and it is truly a guess—is that McIlroy is fully on board with foregoing the $3 million.

He was closely involved in the setup of the program and knew exactly what the fallout would be if he missed another tournament. When he withdrew, it’s hard to believe he would think he’d skate on a penalty of some sort.

For him, it’s probably worth it. He undoubtedly was bitterly disappointed following his missed cut at the Masters, where for the ninth straight year he failed to complete the career Grand Slam.

There had been so many good vibes after missing the cut at the Players, and to struggle as he did meant a reset is in order—and not necessarily at a Harbour Town course he likely feels does not suit him.

And then there’s the schedule. McIlroy played in Dubai to start the year, then was part of the remaining designated events: Phoenix, Genesis, Arnold Palmer, Players, WGC-Match Play. He also took two trips at Augusta National, playing 81 holes of practice prior to tournament week.

You can argue the merits of the latter, but the run-up to the Masters is always intense for all of the top players. (You can also argue that Jon Rahm’s appearance and top-15 finish at Harbour Town coming off his Masters win is mighty impressive.) And having a designated event follow the Masters always seemed risky. Hilton Head is traditionally meant as a decompression week. It’s not for all. There’s a reason Rahm is the first Masters champion to compete the week following his victory since Jordan Spieth in 2015.

Were it not a designated event, it’s quite likely Rahm would not have been there.

Already the rules are changing for next year. There will be no playing requirement to earn PIP money, which is being reduced to $50 million. A player is free to compete in as few designated events as he wants, as the Tour is banking on the increased FedEx points, big purses and no cuts to assure participation.

There will also be at least one fewer designated event prior to the Masters, as the WGC-Match Play is not returning. That might make playing a week after the Masters easier. It might also make the run-up to the Masters less taxing.

Regardless, there were always going to be growing pains with such a new system. It is already evolving. If there was going to be a player to run afoul of it, perhaps McIlroy – given his prominence in the entire thing – was not the ideal example. But he’s also the one likely to deal with it the best.