Injured Rory McIlroy withdraws from British Open Championship

While watching Wimbledon with his Claret Jug by his side, Rory McIlroy announced on Wednesday that the ruptured ligaments in his left ankle will force him to skip the defense of his Open Championship title at St. Andrews.

McIlroy, with his world No. 1 ranking at stake, as well as his chance to book back-to-back British Open wins, ripped up his ankle on July 4 during a pick-up game of soccer with some friends.

Rory posted the announcement on his Instagram account:

After much consideration, I have decided not to play in the Open Championship at St. Andrews. I’m taking a long-term view of this injury and, although rehab is progressing well, I want to come back to tournament play when I feel 100 percent healthy and 100 percent competitive. Thank you for all your support and best wishes. I hope to be back on the course as soon as I can.

McIlroy’s decision to withdraw from the third major of the men’s 2015 season was not surprising, given the reported damage to the ankle that bears the brunt of his weight during his powerful golf swing. It was, nevertheless, disappointing to anyone hoping for a Rory-Jordan Spieth shootout in Sunday’s finale.

Spieth, whose path to a third straight major championship on his way to what would be an historic four in the same calendar year became a tad easier with McIlroy out, was one of those kind of bummed out by Rory’s WD.

“For me, it doesn’t change anything,” the reigning Masters and U.S. Open winner told the Golf Channel after word broke about McIlroy’s injury. “It’s still just as challenging. It’s still a major championship and there is a lot of unbelievable talent. I obviously wish he was there.

“It kind of dampens it. You want the defending champion, much less the best player in the world at the event,” Spieth said. “You want all fields to be full strength no matter who it is. Losing the number one player in the world for a major championship would be tough.”

McIlroy has to be discouraged by his inability to tee it up at the home of the game. Despite his reputed dislike of links golf played often in inclement weather, the four-time major winner contended at St. Andrews in the 2010 Open after starting with a 63. He also gave his would-be rival, Spieth, something to think about with some strong play down the stretch at last month’s U.S. Open at the links-style Chambers Bay.

Even with all that’s riding on the Open outcome, McIlroy clearly made the correct decision for his current and future well-being. He would have entered the event with little groundwork, having already decided not to play in the Scottish Open a week ahead of the British and with his last competitive round on June 21 in the finale at Chambers Bay.

There’s no telling what effect, if any, playing this week on a bad wheel would have had on McIlroy’s swing or future prospects. Perhaps he could have pulled off a Tiger Woods, circa 2008 U.S. Open, when the then-world No. 1 limped his way to the last of his 14 major victories on a broken leg and bum knee that subsequently required surgery.

Choosing to weigh -- as North Carolina orthopedic surgeon Dean Taylor framed it for John Feinstein -- the “short-term gratification” of trying to tough it out for his second Claret Jug “against long-term risk” to his health and career was probably the right move.