Rory McIlroy should not be criticized for missing The Memorial

Rory McIlroy (TourProGolfClubs, Wikimedia Commons)

There are two weeks left until the 2025 U.S. Open takes place at Oakmont, in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. This weekend is one of the PGA Tour’s Signature events, The Memorial Tournament. One of the biggest stories is who is not who is playing. On the absentee list is Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, the 2025 Masters champion.

McIlroy’s absence should not be considered a huge surprise. He said back in January his intention to play fewer events according to Sam Frost of The Irish Star, and he was not concerned about missing Signature events.

Now one might wonder why an elite golfer like McIlroy would want to miss a signature event. These events have smaller fields than other PGA events, and offer more prize money. Recently, an additional $20 million were given to these tournaments.

The bottom line is a Signature event is not a major. It is a second tier tournament. Now, if McIlroy decided to miss the US Open, PGA Championship, British Open, or Masters, without any significant reason, that is news.

McIlroy has already made his complete commitment to the PGA Tour. He had the opportunity of jumping ship and leaving for the LIV Tour a long time ago, but decided to be loyal to the PGA.

With the US Open in two weeks, sometimes rest can be beneficial. Participating in a golf tournament is mentally taxing as well as having a physical demand. It does not make a lot of sense to play in multiple tournaments in back-to-back weeks prior to competing at a major.

We should not expect McIlroy to play every week. He has set his schedule and will be at the RBC Canadian Open next week. It is in Canada where he has had huge success. He is a two-time champion, having won in 2019 and 2022.

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