Rory McIlroy Withdraws from 2015 Open Championship with Ankle Injury

Rory McIlroy will not be at St. Andrews to defend his Open Championship crown this year, as the world’s top golfer withdrew from the showpiece event on Wednesday because of a ruptured ligament in his left ankle.

The Northern Irishman announced his decision on Instagram:

The Open Championship also released a statement regarding McIlroy's decision:

McIlroy posted the following image to his Instagram account on July 6, triggering major fears he’d not be fit to take part in the third major championship of the year:

Now the news the golf world feared has been confirmed, meaning there will be a different name on the Claret Jug at the end of four days of action from the Old Course. McIlroy would have been chasing his second Open title and his fifth major, having won at Royal Liverpool a year ago.

SportsCenter noted that McIlroy would be the first Open champion not to defend his title since Ben Hogan in 1954.

It’s a major setback for McIlroy in a year that’s failed to live up to the remarkable heights of 2014. He saw a chance at a career Grand Slam slip away at Augusta earlier in the year, and disappointment in the Masters was followed up by another top-10 finish at the U.S. Open. They're results good enough for most, but not for this spectacular young player.

The man who topped the standings in both aforementioned tournaments was American sensation Jordan Spieth, who will now be the big favourite for glory at St. Andrews in McIlroy's absence.

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Darren Fletcher of BT Sport thinks it’s all falling into place for a potential annual Grand Slam for the 21-year-old star:

McIlroy may find this layoff actually does him some good in the long run. Of course, he’ll be desperately frustrated not to defend a title he won so impressively just a year ago, but there are times this season when the same spark he had in 2014 hasn’t quite been there.

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Some prolonged time off the course may be exactly what he needs to replenish and refocus. Perhaps then he can return at full flight and start challenging Spieth for some of these top golfing prizes; the prospect of these two eventually going head-to-head for the major titles is something that'll surely be an incentive for McIlroy in his recovery process.