McIlroy forced to miss Tour’s flagship event

RORY McIlroy will miss next week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth with a rib injury.

The world number two suffered the problem in the off-season after hitting a lot of balls in practice trying to decide on new equipment after former supplier Nike decided to stop producing clubs last year.

It flared up as he lost a play-off to Graeme Storm at the BMW SA Open in January and he did not feature again until the WGC-Mexico Championship in March where he finished four shots behind winner Dustin Johnson.

The Northern Irishman resumed an active schedule but felt discomfort at the Players Championship and despite a scan revealing he has suffered no new injury, he will not now tee it up at the European Tour’s flagship event on Thursday.

“Having had a reaction to my earlier rib injury, I have been advised to take a conservative approach to my recovery which unfortunately means I have to withdraw from the BMW PGA Championship next week,” said McIlroy.

“It’s a disappointing decision to have to make but I have to ensure I make a full recovery. I will now continue the process of preparing my game for the US Open and the rest of the season.”

McIlroy, 28, is a previous winner at Wentworth, with his victory in 2014 kicking off a brilliant summer that saw him claim the Open Championship, the US PGA Championship and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said: “There is no question that Rory will be missed at the BMW PGA Championship but his health is the most important thing and we wish him a speedy recovery.”

Meanwhile, Former Masters champion Mike Weir made his first halfway cut since November 2014 after a battling display in the Rocco Forte Open in Sicily.

The Canadian recovered from a triple-bogey to card a second round of 70 at Verdura Golf Club and finish right on the cut mark of five under par.

That was 10 shots off the halfway lead held by Spain’s Alvaro Quiros, but simply making the weekend for the first time in 34 events represents a step in the right direction for the former world number three.

Weir, who has slumped to 1,907th in the rankings, has struggled for form ever since undergoing elbow surgery in 2011.