Moore unlikely to accept invitation to The Open

Kevin Na, who tied Moore for second place at 17-under, withdrew on Thursday because of stricter international travel requirements related to COVID-19.

Moore said he’s had a family trip planned next week for the last few months.

“I need to go talk to my wife about that, but she’s going to tell me to go,” Moore said regarding The Open. “At this point in time in my career I’ve played a lot of golf tournaments. I don’t want to bail on a trip like that.

“It was good to see my body feel good and feel good throughout the entire week, but flying on a plane for 10 hours, a lot cooler weather, it’s unpredictable how I might feel. So I might have to weigh those things and figure it out with her, but I would say at this point I’m going to commit to going with my family.”

Moore said his current plan was to play the 3M Open (July 22-25), followed by the Barracuda Championship (Aug. 5-8) and Wyndham Championship (Aug. 12-15).

The 2016 JDC champion said playing in his 12th tournament here helped his game on a course on which he’s had success and feels comfortable.

The 38-year-old admitted he has started to think more about his health and longevity as a pro golfer, which also factors into his decision whether or not to hop aboard the John Deere Classic Charter to Royal St George's Golf Club in England.

“Someone put it to me recently, it’s not age, it’s miles at this point,” he said. “You put a lot of miles on your body, whether it’s traveling or playing tournaments and all this stuff.”

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Moore said it takes his body longer to recover at this stage of his career.

“You don’t bounce back after four or five days of rest, it takes a couple weeks now to kind of get back to feeling good,” Moore said. “It’s hard to be patient with that at times, but to go out and have a week like this … honestly it’s probably the best my body has felt all week, especially on a Sunday.

"It actually felt the best it almost felt all week today, so that’s a huge positive. That means I’m moving better and doing the right things to keep myself moving forward.”

The uncertainty of physical recovery and family plans ahead create the unlikelihood of him playing The Open.

“My body did feel good this week, but it’s a long flight. It’s a long week. It’s hard, tough, cold conditions,” Moore said. “That makes me a little nervous just forcing it.”

Moore figures taking a bit of time to recharge will allow him the best chance of getting into the FedExCup Playoffs. After his JDC finish, he jumped 58 spots to No. 136. The top 125 players reach the FedExCup Playoffs.

Had he known a month ago he was in The Open, Moore says he’d “absolutely” be going.

“But coming here, I had my plans made, and knowing you have to finish second basically to get in there, it’s hard to plan around that," he said.

Should he officially decline, the R&A would give the spot to the next person on its reserve list, in this case Adam Long, who finished in a tie for 23rd at the John Deere Classic at 12-under par.

For Moore, there is no disappointment in being in this situation after finishing just a few strokes from a win, despite the tough decision it brought about.

“It’s awesome they extend that, you know, that spot for a person in this tournament,” he said. “But for me in my position this year I just don’t think I’ll be able to take it.”

For more exclusive coverage from the John Deere Classic, go to https://qconline.com/exclusive/jdc/