Rory McIlroy: 'It was tough to cancel trip to Haiti'

Former world number one golfer Rory McIlroy has admitted that it was "tough" to cancel a planned trip with UNICEF to visit the people of Haiti.

The Northern Irishman was scheduled to travel to the poverty-stricken area to visit families that were affected by the earthquake in 2010.

The 23-year-old announced last week that he would no longer be taking the charity trip in order to prepare for this week's Masters tournament.

"It was tough because golf sometimes is a selfish sport and sometimes you have to think of yourself," McIlroy said in a press conference.

"I know I was letting a lot of people down, but I feel like it was something I needed to do. I made a couple of tough phone calls."

McIlroy insisted that he hopes he will be able to reschedule the visit.