McIlroy could lose $3M bonus

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy was one of the strongest voices in private player meetings that led to a season in which top players agreed to play in 17 designated events. A later update allowed them to miss one of those events.

McIlroy now has missed two and risks losing $3 million of his $12 million Player Impact Program bonus.

McIlroy was a favorite at the Masters and then shot 77 in the second round to miss the cut. Three days later he withdrew from this week’s RBC Heritage with its $20 million purse.

He already withdrew from another designated event, the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, at the start of the year.

In announcing the PIP results in November — McIlroy was No. 2 behind Tiger Woods — the tour originally said 25% of the bonus would be paid after Kapalua.

A memo sent to players in December said 75% would be paid after Kapalua, and the rest paid when a player met the rest of his obligations, which included playing in 16 of 17 designated events. So now what?

McIlroy has not said what led to his withdrawal from Hilton Head, whether it was an injury, family emergency or some other reason that would excuse him. And then there’s the footnote at the bottom of 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.”

As strong a voice as McIlroy has been against the threat of Saudifunded LIV Golf, the tour has to weigh whether to enforce its policy or give McIlroy a $3 million way out for his leadership during such radical change and division in golf.

McIlroy never spoke at the Masters after missing the cut. Storms rolled in as he finished, the second round was suspended and Augusta National ordered the course evacuated.

Slow play: The final round of the Masters took nearly five hours in twosomes, and Brooks Koepka was not the least bit happy. Koepka and Masters champion Jon Rahm are known to not dawdle when it comes to golf.

“The group in front of us was brutally slow,” Koepka said. “Jon went to the bathroom like seven times during the round, and we were still waiting.”

Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland were in the group in front. Cantlay on Tuesday said Koepka and Rahm weren’t the only ones waiting.

“We finished the first hole, and the group in front of us was on the second tee when we walked up to the second tee, and we waited all day on pretty much every shot,” Cantlay said at the RBC Heritage.

“We waited in 15 fairway, we waited in 18 fairway. I imagine it was slow for everyone.”

Anecdotally, the pace of play is becoming a leading topic again.

There was one stretch where the PGA Tour did not make the 36-hole cut until Saturday (except for events with multiple courses) from November at Mayakoba until the middle of March.

“When you play a golf course like Augusta National, where all the hole locations are on lots of slope and the greens are really fast, it’s just going to take longer and longer to hole out,” Cantlay said.

Masters ratings: The long final day at the Masters pulled in big numbers for CBS Sports, which reports just over 16.2 million viewers combined across all platforms for the conclusion of the rain-delayed third round and the final round.

Rahm overcame a two-shot deficit against Koepka, with 52-year-old Phil Mickelson making a late run with a 65. Rahm beat both by four shots in the end.

CBS said the final round alone averaged just over 12 million viewers, up 19% from last year.