Rory McIlroy has decided to skip the £7.3 million Canadian Open in favor of spending time at his new family home in the UK before the US Open. The world number two recently finished tied for 12th at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio, where he shot four under par. Instead of competing in Toronto this week, McIlroy made the 3,650-mile journey from Dublin, Ohio to Wentworth, Surrey, to settle into his newly renovated mansion.
McIlroy's Decision to Prioritize Family
The 37-year-old golfer will spend six days at his £9 million home on the exclusive Wentworth estate before traveling another 3,500 miles to Southampton, New York, for the US Open at Shinnecock Hills. The decision means he forfeits the chance to win the £1.3 million top prize at the Canadian Open. McIlroy explained, "I had a couple of weeks off and we got ourselves settled into our house in London for the summer. It was nice to be there for the last 10 days."
New Home and Renovations
McIlroy and his wife Erica Stoll purchased the six-bedroom mansion in 2023 and have since extended and transformed it. The property, already one of the finest in the area, now boasts luxurious features for the couple and their daughter Poppy. They relocated from a £16.5 million mansion in Jupiter, Florida, which they bought from golf legend Ernie Els in 2017. Notably, their new neighbor is the Sultan of Brunei, who has a net worth of £22.3 billion, alongside other high-profile residents like Elton John and Cliff Richard.
Focus on the US Open
McIlroy, who defended his Masters title in April, is aiming for a second major title this season at Shinnecock Hills. However, he has struggled with driver inconsistency, as seen at the Memorial Tournament. "Off the tee still wasn't where I want it to be," McIlroy said. "Thankfully, the fairways at Shinnecock are a little wider than they are here. But, yeah, still need to work on that." He added, "I get a little bit underneath the plane on the way down and then from there I try to drag the handle to match it up, and then I get toe strikes... But I have to try to get the club back out in front of me."
Despite these challenges, McIlroy remains optimistic: "Just try to keep getting a little bit better each and every day heading into Shinnecock." The US Open is scheduled to begin on June 16 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
