Rory McIlroy has been confirmed to be playing for the first time since his US Open collapse at the Scottish Open later this week.
The 35-year-old Northern Irishman has stepped away from the golf spotlight, taking time off the course over the past three weeks following his implosion at Pinehurst and the drama of the turnaround of the divorce.
The four-time major winner will officially make his return to golf in Scotland on Thursday after tee times for the final tournament before The Open Championship were revealed on Tuesday.
McIlroy is scheduled to begin the defence of his title at The Renaissance Club alongside European teammates Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntrye at 8:28am BST/3:28am ET on Thursday.
This week’s event will be followed by the Open at Royal Troon, his last chance of the year to end his 10-year drought without a major.
Rory McIlroy confirmed to play for first time since US Open collapse
McIlroy, who held a two-shot lead entering the final round of last month’s major, racked up three bogeys over the final five holes and missed two putts from a combined seven feet.
He fled the course minutes after Bryson DeChambeau claimed victory and announced less than 24 hours later that he would not play another tournament until the Tour reaches Scotland this week.
In a statement on social media, McIlroy said: ‘Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer.
‘First of all, I’d like to congratulate Bryson. He’s 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 will regret a few things throughout the tournament, most notably the two missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day. But, as I always try to do, I will look at the positives from the week that far outweigh the negatives.
‘As I said at the beginning of the tournament, I feel closer than ever to winning my next major championship.
‘The one word I would use to describe my career is resilience. I have proven my resilience time and time again over the past 17 years and I will do it again.
“I’ll be taking a few weeks away from the game to process everything and prepare for my defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon.”
McIlroy was a picture of devastation after blowing the US Open with two shocking putts
McIlroy announced on the eve of the main event that he was calling off his divorce from his wife, Erica
Her US Open failure, which extended her decade-long drought of major tournament wins, also came amid a turbulent time off the field.
On the eve of the US Open, he announced that he was calling off his divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll.
Just a month earlier, ahead of May’s PGA Championship, McIlroy announced that he and Erica were separating because their marriage was “irretrievably broken.”
But on Tuesday before the tournament, McIlroy said in a statement: “There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to every rumour is a fool’s game.”
‘Over the past few weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was to live together as a family. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a fresh start.’
Just weeks after re-coupled, the couple appears to have truly rekindled their romance as they were spotted out and about in a rare public encounter.
The McIlroys enjoyed a date night with the golfer’s Ryder Cup teammates and their partners in London on Sunday night before presumably heading to Scotland for this week’s event.
Diane Donald, the wife of victorious European captain Luke Donald, shared a photo of the group outing on her Instagram Story with Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” playing in the background.
McIlroy (second back left) and Erica Stoll (fourth back right) enjoyed a night out with their Ryder Cup teammates and partners in London on Sunday night.
McIlroy was seated next to Donald, who will serve a second term at Bethpage in New York next year, but it is not clear where in the British capital the group of golfers were dining and drinking.
Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, Nicolai Hojgaard and Tyrrell Hatton, who will travel to Spain for LIV Golf’s Andalucía event this week, were also gathered around the table.
Meanwhile, Stoll was seated further down the table, between Wendy Lowry and Diane, while Clare Fleetwood and Hojgaard’s girlfriend Amanda Falkenberg joined them at the WAG end.
McIlroy, Lowry, Hojgaard, Fleetwood and Hatton were members of Donald’s team that humiliated the United States with a 16.5-11.5 victory in Rome last September.
