Palm Beach Gardens, FL …
Rory McIlroy has defended his decision not to contest this week’s Honda Classic ahead of teeing-up in Monday’s annual Seminole GC ‘Pro-Members’ outing at Juno Beach in Florida.
McIlroy raised just a few eyebrows here at PGA National when it became public he accepted the invitation of US President Donald Trump to play a social round at Trump International and less than a 30-minute drive from this week’s Honda Classic.
However the four-time Major winner, who has been taking it slow working at the exclusive Bears Club and some 15 minutes north of PGA National, has rightfully pointed out contesting the Honda would have meant some six rounds of 18 holes given when you add a practice round, the Pro-Am and the four rounds of the $US 6.4m event
” I could have probably pushed through to play the Honda Classic but I wanted to take that extra week to make sure and, even if it comes to the point where I’m not 100% comfortable, I’ll take another couple of weeks off. But I’m on target for Mexico,” he said in an interview with the Guardian.
“It has been frustrating; you see Jordan Spieth win, Dustin Johnson win and it is never good to feel like you are falling behind. You feel like if you were out there, you might be able to do something about it.
“My short game is as sharp as it has ever felt because that was all I could work on for a while. My golf should be sharp enough. The big concern is just making sure I can play four rounds in a row without doing any damage again.”
McIlroy is also still under the advice and guidance of physical trainer Steve McGregor since being diagnosed with a stressed fracture of his rib on January 17th.
But then McIlroy will make his unofficial return to golf on Monday and joining many other PGA Tour pros at the now annual Seminole Golf Club Pro-Member event at Juno Beach, and also just a short drive from PGA National.
McIlroy will team with Seminole member, John Pinkham who he had teamed with to win the event in 2012 and three days after missing the Honda Classic cut.
Joining McIlroy, who was afforded membership of Seminole some years back, will be his father Gerry who was made a member of the club in the 2017 intake of new members.
It is understood when Seminole President, Jimmy Dunn contacted McIlroy to establish if he was fit to tee up on Monday, McIlroy responded to Dunn that he as ‘he was feeling great and ready to go”.
And on Thursday, McIlroy was paid a visit at the Bears Club by putting coach, Phil Kenyon who was on hand working with other players at the Honda Classic.
Kenyon began working with McIlroy shortly after the England putting coach helped steer Henrik Stenson to Open Championship glory last July.
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