By Alex Myers

What should have been the simple story of a golfer withdrawing from a PGA Tour event turned into a minor saga involving a major champ and the player in question’s wife.

Pat Perez pulled out of the field at the Houston Open on Thursday morning. That much was certain, but the what was the reason for the WD? The original announcement from the tour cited a wrist injury:

Pat Perez is a WD @HouOpenGolf with a wrist injury. Robert Allenby, who won the 2000 @HouOpenGolf, replaces him in the field.

— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) October 10, 2019

Not great news for someone finally finding his game with a solo third last week after a frustrating past season plagued by a calf injury. But a couple hours later, Perez’s friend Steve Elkington said Perez’s WD was for a different reason:

He just WD .. got a late invite to Korea & Japan so he’s off!! https://t.co/Je95Bnubjg

— Steve Elkington (@elkpga) October 10, 2019

Hmm. . .

Thanks to Perez’s wife, Ashley, we got to the bottom of the mystery on Thursday night. Turns out, Elk was right. Perez got a last-minute spot in the field at next week’s CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges in South Korea and he took it.

And before you jump on Pat for the late WD, yes, he cost some fantasy owners, but he pulled out in plenty of time for an alternate, Robert Allenby, to take his place. And although flying to Asia is a long trip, it makes financial sense considering the CJ Cup is a no-cut event with a field of 78 players. Perez is also listed in the field at the following week’s inaugural Zozo Championship in Japan.

Anyway, no harm, no foul. Nice of Ashley to clear that up, and safe travels, Pat.

The post Pat Perez’s wife clears up confusion over his last-minute WD from the Houston Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Rory McIlroy is taking an indefinite sabbatical from social media as his spat with fellow major champion Steve Elkington resurfaced at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Wednesday.

Former PGA Championship winner Elkington took to Twitter after McIlroy had missed the cut at last month’s U.S. Open at Erin Hills, accusing the 28-year-old Northern Irishman of being “so bored playing golf”.

McIlroy admitted Wednesday that he regretted his retort, despite widespread support in the wake of the tit-for-tat, but couldn’t help himself.

RELATED CONTENT: Rory McIlroy destroys Steve Elkington after Elk tries to call him out

“I must have wrote that Tweet and deleted it about five times before I actually sent it,” McIlroy said at Portstewart on the eve of the DDF Irish Open where he is not only the defending champion but also tournament host via his Rory Foundation.

“I sort of regret sending it at the end [and] I actually gave my wife, Erica, my phone and my Twitter and told her: Change my password to something else and don’t tell me what it is.

“So as of the time being, I’m off social media just because of that reason. I don’t need to read it. It’s stuff that shouldn’t get to you and sometimes it does. So yeah, off it for a while.”

McIlroy admitted he would probably have insinuation that he was too rich to care slide had it not come from “inside the ropes”.

“It’s not what was said. It was who said it and who — anyone that’s been in that environment should realise how hard golf is at times, and I think that’s the thing that got to me more than anything else.

“If it was written by a member of the media or something, I could let it slide, because I can sort of say to myself, they don’t really know how it is and they don’t know what you have to deal with. But a former player that has won a major and been successful; that’s sort of why it got to me and that’s why I sort of retaliated a little bit.”

The post McIlroy shies away from social media as sour taste from Elk Twitter feud lingers appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Rory McIlroy may have missed the cut at Erin Hills, but he’s leaving Wisconsin a winner.

McIlroy fired a one-under 71 on Friday, but it was not enough to overcome the 78 he posted on Round 1. McIlroy was far from the only star to suffer at the U.S. Open, as Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Jon Rahm also failed to reach Saturday play.

That didn’t stop former PGA champion and noted curmudgeon Steve Elkington from stirring things up on Twitter Friday night.

Rory is so bored playiing golf…without Tiger the threshold is prolly 4 majors with 100mill in bank

— Steve Elkington (@elkpga) June 17, 2017

Words that didn’t sit well with McIlroy, who promptly fired back.

More like 200mil… not bad for a "bored" 28 year old… plenty more where that came from. pic.twitter.com/R2nigEaee7

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) June 17, 2017

Sure, a screenshot of your Wikipedia page is a little cheesy; then again, when your page has as many accomplishments as McIlroy’s, you can do whatever you damn please.

Elkington tried to respond by claiming Jack Nicklaus never discussed his earnings, but at that point, Elk was on the canvas and the judge had called for the bell, raising Rory’s hand as victor.

The post Rory McIlroy destroys Steve Elkington after Elk tries to call him out appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.