Jack Nicklaus remains ‘big fan' of Rory McIlroy despite Memorial Tournament miss
McIlroy is skipping Nicklaus' annual event at Muirfield Village for the first time since 2017, meaning he will not have contested three of the PGA Tour's Signature Events so far this season.
The world number two did not enter the season-opening Sentry tournament in Hawaii and also passed on the RBC Heritage, although that was the week after winning the Masters to join Nicklaus as one of just six players to have completed a career grand slam.
Welcome to #theMemorial @PGATOUR pic.twitter.com/SZnjxcCoHD
— the Memorial (@MemorialGolf) May 26, 2025
Asked at his traditional pre-tournament press conference for his reaction to McIlroy's absence, Nicklaus said: 'Yeah, it surprised me.
'But, you know, guys have got schedules and got things they do. And, you know, I haven't talked to him for him to tell me why or why not. It's just his call.
'I made a lot of calls that I had to make when I played to play or not play and sometimes it wasn't as popular as people thought it was. But, you know, sometimes you have to make those calls.
'I don't hold anything against Rory for that. He did what he likes to play. I know he likes to play so many in a row.
'He likes to play the week before a US Open. And so he…that's what he's doing. So, you know, I really don't have a comment on it.
'It's very difficult, very difficult. I mean, I'm a big Rory fan, I always have been. I'm sure that I will remain that way. I just, I was a little surprised, yes.'
Nicklaus had lunch with McIlroy ahead of the Masters and gave his seal of approval to the Northern Irishman's shot-by-shot plan to tackle Augusta National, a plan which ultimately paid off with a play-off victory over Justin Rose following a rollercoaster final round.
'After the Masters I dropped him a note and I told him, 'I don't think anybody's won by having four double bogeys',' Nicklaus added.
'And I said, 'but that just showed me how much talent you have to overcome that to win and how you played some unbelievably spectacular shots, such as the iron at seven that he hit over the tree that actually hit the tree'.
'The phenomenal iron he hit at 15, the shot he hit at 17. Then, of course, to miss that little short putt at 18…which was not very good. But he played some bad shots. The shot he hit at 13 (into Rae's Creek), I can't believe.
'But anyway, you know, I was very happy for him. It was a great win and it got the monkey off his back. And to me, the monkey was not the grand slam. The monkey was the Masters.
'Now, the Grand Slam was a product of winning the Masters. If you ask him which was more important, I think he would have to say the Masters. That's because it was.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
5 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Forgive us our press passes in love hate media relationship
In a way, I understand what she was getting at because the sports editor often says to me that the mere thought of reading this Tuesday twaddle sends a shiver down his spine. Shiver away, boss. Here we go again. This week, it's the Canadian Open. How the times flies. That's a whole 12 months since Robert MacIntyre won his first title on the PGA Tour with his dad, Dougie, beside him as caddie. It was one of the most heartwarming tales of the golfing year. It was a triumph that also produced a predictably dizzying frenzy on social media. I remember being particularly tickled by one post in the build up to the final round as MacIntyre sat on a sturdy four-shot lead. The radio broadcaster, Georgie Bingham, was so excited at the prospect of a Bob breakthrough, she stated on the Sunday morning that, 'I'm literally going to hold my breath for him all day.' Given that MacIntyre wasn't teeing off until about 7:30pm UK time, Georgia was going to have to perform one heck of a feat of respiratory endurance. Young MacIntyre is pencilled in for his defending champion's press conference today. Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, is also on the interview list at some point and could face such an inquisition, they've probably wheeled a rack into the media centre. McIlroy, of course, didn't speak at all during the four days of play at the US PGA Championship as the Masters champion remained as tight-lipped as a Trappist monk sooking on a woodbine. That was a week in which news emerged that McIlroy's driver had failed a random legality test. Given equipment is regularly tested to ensure it conforms, that wasn't an unusual occurrence, but the vacuum created by McIlroy's silence was inevitably filled with wild speculation and fevered assumptions. Before you could say, 'there's nothing much to see here', the molehill had become a snow-capped mountain. McIlroy has always been wonderfully obliging and candid with the media down the years so his no-show at Quail Hollow was somewhat out of character. Some would say, however, that his prolonged snub was an abdication of duty and responsibility, just weeks after completing a career grand slam which resonated beyond the game and confirmed his status as a golfing great. As for another golfing great? Well, Jack Nicklaus gave his own thoughts on media duties last week at the Memorial Tournament that he hosts. 'I've always felt that you guys and gals have a job to do, and for you to do your job you need to talk to me,' he said. 'And whether I played well or whether I played poorly, if you still want to talk to me, I'll talk to you. And I always have.' Unlike in certain other sports, golfers don't have a contractual obligation to speak to the press after a round. Imagine if they did? There probably would've been a clause etched in the small print of Colin Montgomerie's terms and conditions stating that, 'glowering, seething silences after a missed two-footer on the 18th still speak volumes.' In many ways, they did. Good old Monty was still a story even when he said nowt. Compared to more frenzied sporting arenas, golfers, by and large, lead a charmed media existence. There has, however, been evidence this season of a straining of relationships. After losing out on the Arnold Palmer Invitational title, two-time major champion, Collin Morikawa, side-stepped the media then, a couple of weeks later, gave a reason. 'I don't owe anyone anything,' he said. In this money-soaked land of milk and honey, where mollycoddled golfers have never had it so good, Morikawa's assertion did little for the perception that elite performers are an entitled bunch of so-and-sos. Forget cocking a snook to the media, such shrugging self-importance was hardly a good way to woo a watching public who have become wearied by the riches and ramifications of the arms race that has split the men's professional game. Of course, a couple of media snubs here and there is hardly a new phenomenon. In this hysterical age, though, it's often portrayed as a complete breakdown of the player and press relationship. I'm sure everyone will kiss and make up. If, that is, the agents and managers of said players allow us to get close enough in these days of increasingly limited access. Making a guest appearance in his father's book, 'Golf in my Gallowses', many moons ago, the dearly departed doyen, Jock MacVicar, wrote about his engagements with a variety of golfers at the time. Of the former Ryder Cup player turned BBC commentator, Ken Brown, Jock noted that, 'he rarely talks to the press, even on occasions actually running away from a man with a notebook and pencil.' Not quite 'Ken on the Course', as he would become known on the tele in later years, more 'Ken's ****ed off from the Course'. Now, what time is Rory doing his press conference again?
Scotsman
8 hours ago
- Scotsman
More major disappointment for Scottish golfers as US Open field is finalised
MacIntyre will be sole player flying Saltire at Oakmont Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Bob MacIntyre will be the sole Scot in the third major in a row after the battle for spots in next week's 125th US Open at Oakmont drew a blank for players flying the Saltire. MacIntyre secured his fourth appearance in the USGA event through qualifying for the PGA Tour's season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta last year on the back of his wins in both the RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The 28-year-old, who defends the first of those titles this week in Ontario, would also have qualified on the strength of being in the top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking at a cut off on 19 May. Bob MacIntyre and his caddie, Mike Burrow, pictured during last year's 124th US Open at Pinehurst Resort |As was the case for both The Masters in April and last month's PGA Championship, though, MacIntyre will be the only Scottish player teeing up in one of the game's marquee events. Ryan Lumsden, who is among the current Caledonian contingent on the Hotel Planner Tour, came closest to joining the Oban man in the line up in Pennsylvania. Close call for Ryan Lumsden at Walton Heath After carding rounds of 66-71 for a seven-under-par total, Lumsden got into a play-off in one of the 36-hole Final Qualifiers at Walton Heath only to miss out in a six-way battle for the final three spots and also fail to secure an alternate berth. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scott Jamieson and Calum Hill were the only other Scottish players to roll the dice in that particular shoot-out on this occasion while amateur duo Calum Scott and Connor Graham both came up short in another one at Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas. The concluding ten Final Qualifiers took place on Monday without a single Scot in any of the fields across the UK and Canada. It means that a trend of a disappointing Scottish presence in the US Open will continue next week, when Bryson DeChambeau defends the trophy after his dramatic victory at Pinehurst last year. The third major of the season takes place next week at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania | Getty Images In 2020, MacIntyre was joined by Connor Syme and Sandy Scott, who was still an amateur at the time, in flying the Saltire at Winged Foot. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad MacIntyre and Laird were then in the field at Torrey Pines the following year before Sean Jacklin, Tony's son, was the solitary Scot at Brookline as Matthew Fitzpatrick won there in 2022. It was a Scot-free event at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023 before Grant Forrest came through the qualifier at Walton Heath last year to join MacIntyre at Pinehurst. Rickie Fowler misses out in play-off A day after securing a spot in the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush through the Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour, former Genesis Scottish Open champion Rickie Fowler narrowly missed out in his bid to be involved in the US Open as well. Along with Max Homa, he suffered disappointment in a five-man play-off for just one spot - it went to 2022 Open runner-up Cameron Young - at Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club in Columbus, Ohio.
Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Rickie Fowler discovers PGA Tour stance as Tiger Woods' record is matched
The countdown to the US Open is well and truly on, and many of the game's biggest stars have been gearing up for the year's third major in all sorts of different ways The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village has been something of a rollercoaster ride as the golfing world inches closer to the US Open. A total of 156 players will battle it out at Oakmont Country Club from June 12 to 15 for the year's third major. Many will be hoping to emulate Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, who have already enjoyed huge success this year at the Masters and the PGA Championship, respectively. The Canadian Open at TPC Toronto now provides PGA pros with a final opportunity to hone their skills before the eagerly awaited US-based event arrives, and it's fair to say some players may be better prepared than others. Here, we delve into some of the most significant current stories in golf. From Scheffler's record-equalling victory at the Memorial on Sunday and Jordan Spieth nearly hitting a spectator with an errant shot, to Rickie Fowler's recent respite and Jack Nicklaus' tirade about what he currently dislikes about golf. Scheffler channels Tiger Woods in Memorial dominance It appears Scheffler has developed a habit of equalling records this year. The 28-year-old posted an impressive 31-under at last month's CJ Cup Byron Nelson to secure his first PGA Tour title of 2025, finishing eight strokes ahead of second-placed Erik van Rooyen. Scheffler equalled a record set by Justin Thomas at the 2017 Sony Open and matched by Ludvig Aberg at the RSM Classic in 2023, with an overall 72-hole score of 253 strokes. His second victory of 2025 came at the PGA Championship, where he posted an 11-under-par score at Quail Hollow to clinch his first major title. On Sunday, Scheffler was back in record-equalling form as the Memorial Tournament concluded, becoming only the second player ever to defend a title at Muirfield Village. He finished one stroke ahead of Collin Morikawa in last year's tournament, before returning in 2025 to defend his title with a four-stroke lead over Ben Griffin. His achievement follows Tiger Woods' historic back-to-back victories at the Memorial in 1999 and 2000. However, if Scheffler wants to match Woods' three consecutive wins at Muirfield Village, he'll need to secure another victory next year, as Woods also won the title in 2001. Spieth almost wipes out a fan with a wayward shot One golfer who will be keen to forget the 2025 Memorial is Spieth, who nearly hit a spectator with a wayward shot on Sunday. The 31-year-old's final round got off to a tumultuous start when his drive from the first tee veered right into thick rough. Spieth had the crowd holding their breath during a nerve-wracking moment in which he attempted a daring shot from 168 yards out with a terrible lie. The ball flew unexpectedly low, narrowly missing a spectator who appeared to have a heart-stopping moment as it zipped over his head. Commentator Dame Laura Davies, watching from the Sky Sports Golf booth, said: "Ooh! It's funny because I looked at those people and thought, after that tee shot, they're a bit brave here. And well, that guy moves so quickly. I think it missed everyone." Her colleague Andrew Coltart chimed in, adding: "Goodness me, I hope so. He was full of confidence, but never got the connection at all. Hopefully, everybody is okay. Jordan, what are you doing?". Despite a two-over-par finish for the round, Spieth managed to end the tournament on one under after 72 holes, tying for seventh place with Brandt Snedeker, Tom Hoge, Rickie Fowler, and Keegan Bradley. Fowler breathes a sigh of relief Rickie Fowler, meanwhile, could breathe a sigh of relief, having grasped a valuable opportunity on Sunday. His T7 finish at the Memorial earned him a spot at this year's Open at Royal Portrush. The Californian boasts six PGA Tour victories but is still on the hunt for his first major championship win. The prize of a slot in the final major of the year was reserved for the highest-placed player at the Memorial not already qualified for the tournament. Fowler, by virtue of his finish and a higher ranking in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) than Snedeker, secured his passage to the Open Championship. Following his qualification at the Memorial, Fowler said: "We're heading the right way. This week still could have been a lot better, but definite positive is going over to Portrush. That's one I've wanted on the schedule." Snedeker still has an opportunity to join Fowler in the Open Championship. However, the next tournament in the Open Qualifying Series is the upcoming RBC Canadian Open. Nicklaus explains pet peeve With an impressive 18 major championship victories and 73 PGA Tour titles under his belt, Nicklaus continues to be a significant figure in golf. Since officially retiring in 2005, the game has evolved considerably compared to icon's prime. The 85-year-old was quick to highlight one particular aspect that he detests, which happened during this weekend's Memorial. Griffin was tied for the second-round lead when he hit a drive into thick rough on the par-four 17th hole. As Griffin approached his ball, Golf Channel broadcaster Rex Hoggard approached him for a walk-and-talk interview. Hoggard asked: "Joked yesterday, I asked you what your energy levels are like, and your wife had one answer. She said she was exhausted; you said you were fine. How are you?" However, Nicklaus took exception to the interview style, stating: "I can't stand that... the interview on the golf course. Let me tell you how I think, how I feel. "I mean, seriously, here's a guy who's leading the golf tournament, he's just hit the edge of the rough, he's got a very difficult shot on a very difficult hole, and you're talking to him about stuff that totally takes his mind off of what he was doing. How would you think [Ben] Hogan would respond to that question?" While Terry Gannon, who was on duty at the time, said: "Times have changed," Nicklaus was quick to reply: "You would not have any teeth left if you did. He'd [Hogan] hit you right in the face with it."
