Rory McIlroy gave a blunt response to being handed an eye-watering fine (Image: Getty)

Rory McIlroy says it was an ‘easy decision’ to accept a £2.4million fine for skipping a tournament last year. The Northern Irishman was a late withdrawal from the RBC Heritage 18 months ago, landing him in hot water with officials.

McIlroy endured a tough week at the 2023 Masters just the week before. He returned home to focus on his mental wellbeing. However, PGA rules that year stated that players would need to return 25 per cent of their Player Impact Program bonus if they skipped more than one Signature Event’.

That was the second time McIlroy had missed a tournament that fell under that category. But the 35-year-old was perfectly willing to forego £2.4m in a bid to recover mentally.

“I had my reasons to not play Hilton Head and I’ve expressed those to Jay,” McIlroy has since said, referring to a conversation with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.

“It was an easy decision, but I felt like if that fine or whatever is to happen was worth that for me in order to get some things in place.”

McIlroy says he will streamline his calendar next year. He wants to focus only on the events he enjoys playing, having endured some gruelling and challenging schedules over the past few years. That approach may even help him end a decade-long wait for a major championship.

The RBC Heritage is no longer a mandatory event. The World No. 3 can therefore skip that tournament without facing sanctions.

“There’s a few tournaments that I played this year that I don’t usually play and that I might not play next year,” McIlroy told the Daily Telegraph in November.

Rory McIlroy says he will streamline his 2025 schedule to only play tournaments he loves (Image: Getty)

“Like, I played the Cognizant [Classic] in Palm Beach Gardens, [the Texas Open in] San Antonio and the [RBC Heritage in] Hilton Head.

“And I’ll probably not play the first play-off event in Memphis. I mean, I finished basically dead last there this year, and only moved down one spot in the play-off standings.

“Well, at this point in my career… Hey, I’m 35 and have been out here for 17, 18 years, so I’m just going to go to the places that I enjoy and where I play well. Look I’ve done the hard slog, I’ve done that sort of 25 to 30 events a year. And I’m not getting any younger.”