Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will both be absent from the John Deere Classic this weekend. McIlroy and Scheffler are two of the sport's biggest stars, but they will not be competing at TPC Deere Run.
Both players are managing their schedules at the moment but for different reasons. The heartbroken McIlroy is still rueing his painful loss at the US Open, where he made three bogeys in the final four holes to allow Bryson DeChambeau to take the major from right under his nose.
With The Open now on the horizon, the John Deere Classic is a perfect competition to find some form and confidence before the final major of the season, while also providing an opportunity to take home $1.44m (£1.13m) in prize money. However, neither the world no.1 or world no.2 players will be competing.
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McIlroy will not be at the competition as it takes place during the three-week hiatus he promised to take, one day after his US Open disappointment. At the time, he tweeted: “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 two 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 outweigh 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 defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and the Open at Royal Troon. See you in Scotland.”
Meanwhile, Scheffler will not be in Illinois as he is being more selective with the competitions he plays in. The world No.1 is eligible to compete, but decided to take two weeks off after the Travelers Championship before he travels to Europe ahead of The Open.
This year, he has participated in 15 events, boasting six victories across those competitions. He has only competed in four tournaments that are not categorised as Signature Events (the American Express, WM Phoenix Open, Texas Children Houston Open and the Charles Schwab Challenge).
Scheffler is set to return to action at the Genesis Scottish Open, before the Open Championship itself. He will be one of the big favourites to emerge from Royal Troon victorious.
The New Jersey native will also be competing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer, alongside Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark.
