Rory McIlroy announces he’s taking a break from golf and when he intends to come back

Rory McIlroy isn’t up to playing in the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship this week, instead choosing to skip the final Signature event of the year played at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut.

Instead, the four-time major winner will take a break from competitive golf to regroup after one of the most difficult losses of his career at the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2. After making bogeys on three of the final fours, McIlroy’s earned two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau evaporated and allowed the LIV Golf player to earn his second national championship with a dramatic up-and-down on the final hole.

In a statement on social media, McIlroy wrote, “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 2 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 outweight 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 defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon.

“See you in Scotland.”

McIlroy will not play in Connecticut this week as had been originally planned, and he won’t compete in the Rocket Mortgage Classic or John Deere Classic, which are not stops on his schedule. He’ll look to return to the PGA Tour in three weeks at the Genesis Scottish Open, played July 11-14 at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, before going to Royal Troon, also in Scotland, for the final men’s major of the year.

The former world No. 1 was heavily criticized — and heavily defended, too — in corners of golf for not speaking to the media immediately after the completion of the US Open. He declined to conduct a news conference or speak to NBC. Instead, he went to his car and then to the Pinehurst-Southern Pines airport to head home to Florida.

McIlroy shared around the US Open that he and his wife, Erica, will not go forward with the divorce he filed after winning the Wells Fargo Championship in May. They’ll seek to reconcile their marriage and move forward together.