Rory McIlroy’s inability to defend his Open title at St Andrews will be one of the greatest regrets of his career, according to former Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger.
World No 1 McIlroy suffered an ankle injury while playing football with friends and the 26-year-old confirmed on Wednesday that he would not be able to compete next week at the Old Course.
“I pulled out of tournaments because I sprained my ankle and I had the shoulder injury from pulling the plug out of my boat,” ESPN analyst Azinger said.
“Golfers are athletes, too, and Rory is an athlete, and he likes to play soccer.
“But it’s an unforced error, and I think it’s going to be one of the greatest regrets he’ll ever have as a player, to have to look back on his career and realise that he didn’t get to defend at St Andrews.
“We can’t live in a bubble, but you have to be sensible. It didn’t need to happen. He did it to himself and it’s unfortunate, and it makes all of us sad, but him more than anybody, I’m sure.
“It’s going to hit Rory. It’ll hit him like a ton of bricks when the bell rings on Thursday and he’s not there.
“He’s going to have a lot of reflecting to do, and maybe he’ll have to slide into a little bit of a bubble.
“It’s a great opportunity lost. It’s likely he’ll never get this chance again and he’s going to really feel that pain.”
McIlroy’s defence of both the Bridgestone Invitational in a month’s time and the following week’s US PGA Championship is also in jeopardy, with medical experts predicting he could face three months out.
The Northern Irishman could also lose his position as world No 1 to Jordan Spieth, who travels to St Andrews seeking the third leg of a calendar grand slam after wins at the Masters and US Open.