Just two days after Naomi Osaka's highly-publicised withdrawal from the French Open, Rory McIlroy pulls out of pro-am and press conference ahead of The Memorial, citing "personal reasons"
Thursday 3 June 2021 22:59, UK
Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from Wednesday's pro-am and cancelled his press conference ahead of The Memorial at Muirfield Village.
McIlroy has cited "personal reasons" for being unable to fulfil his media duties or compete in the eve-of-tournament pro-am, according to Golf Channel reporter Rex Hoggard.
The PGA Tour confirmed McIlroy's scheduled press conference had been cancelled, but no official reason was announced.
The news comes just two days after tennis star Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open having initially been fined for not attending her pre-tournament press conference, while tournament organisers also threatened to disqualify her from the event.
Osaka explained on social media that she would not be playing at Roland Garros and needed some time away from competitive tennis to deal with mental health issues.
It is unknown if McIlroy is likely to pull out of The Memorial as he looks to bounce back from his disappointing performance at the PGA Championship, where he finished just inside the top-50 just a fortnight after winning for the first time in 18 months at Quail Hollow.
