Golfer Rory McIlroy calls out fellow European players who declined to make trip

HILTON HEAD, S.C. -- Rory McIlroy says European Tour players who compete on the PGA Tour should be willing to put up with the hassle of a quarantine in order to play again after a 13-week break due to the coronavirus pandemic.

McIlroy's comments Thursday came after several European players decided to stay away from the early events in the United States due to the restrictions placed on international travelers.

"If I were in their shoes and I was asked to come over to the States and shelter in place or quarantine for two weeks before these tournaments, I would have done that. Because if you really care about your career and care about moving forward, you should be here,'' McIlroy said at Harbour Town Golf Club, where he is competing in the RBC Heritage.

"I get there are different variables and families and stuff involved, but we all have the means to rent a very nice house in a gated community in Florida, and it's not a hardship for two weeks to come over and quarantine. It's fine. My caddie Harry [Diamond] came over and did it. He stayed in our guesthouse. The two weeks flew by.''

Diamond, like McIlroy, is from Northern Ireland. McIlroy has a home in Florida and stayed in the United States during the shutdown.

But several players went to their homes in Europe, including Matthew Fitzpatrick, who is from England. Fitzpatrick returned to the United States two weeks prior to when he wanted to travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for the first event and stayed at a rented home in Florida.

During a recent interview, Fitzpatrick said the 14-day quarantine rules allowed for limited movement. He was allowed to practice alone, although he said there were no officials monitoring him.

Other European players such as Tommy Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari and Lee Westwood (who is not a PGA Tour member) elected to wait. They cited the fact that if they returned to Europe, they'd be faced with another two-week quarantine situation there. Australia's Adam Scott expressed similar concerns and has decided to wait before coming back to the U.S.

"I honestly don't understand the guys complaining because there is a solution to it," McIlroy said. "You can come over here and do what needs to be done. ... It might seem a little harsh, but I don't get that mindset, especially if you care about your career and you want to advance."

The European Tour returns next month with two events in Australia followed by a six-week stretch of events in the United Kingdom.