Why aren’t Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy competing in the John Deere Classic?

Some of PGA Tour’s biggest names will compete in the John Deere Classic ahead of The Open, but Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will not be among them.

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will both be absent from the John Deere Classic this weekend. McIlroy and Scheffler are two of the sport’s biggest stars, but they will not be competing at TPC Deere Run.

Both players are managing their schedules at the moment but for different reasons. The heartbroken McIlroy is still rueing his painful loss at the US Open, where he made three bogeys in the final four holes to allow Bryson DeChambeau to take the major from right under his nose.

With The Open now on the horizon, the John Deere Classic is a perfect competition to find some form and confidence before the final major of the season, while also providing an opportunity to take home $1.44m (£1.13m) in prize money. However, neither the world no.1 or world no.2 players will be competing.

McIlroy will not be at the competition as it takes place during the three-week hiatus he promised to take, one day after his US Open disappointment. At the time, he tweeted: “Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer. Firstly I’d like to congratulate Bryson. He is 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’ll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the two missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day. But, as I always try to do, I’ll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives.

“As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have. The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient.

“I’ve shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again. I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and the Open at Royal Troon. See you in Scotland.”