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.
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'.
McIlroy (pictured) is skipping Nicklaus's annual event at Muirfield Village for the first time since 2017 (David J Phillip/AP)
'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.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy details personal struggles as he makes major Masters revelation
Rory McIlroy won the Masters in April to complete the career Grand Slam, but the 36-year-old has struggled to replicate that form since winning at Augusta National Rory McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam with victory at the Masters in April. After a wait of over a decade, the Northern Irishman finally clinched the title that had continually eluded him. McIlroy was overjoyed as he celebrated at Augusta, his victory etching his name alongsidde Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen as the only golfers to have completed the career Grand Slam - defined as winning The Open, US Open, PGA Championship, and the Masters. Since his landmark victory, McIlroy, 36, has taken a step back from regular tournament play, opting to participate in only a handful of events over the past couple of months. While speaking with journalists at the RBC Canadian Open, which is part of his limited schedule, McIlroy confessed that his mindset has shifted since his Masters success - but it's not necessarily been for the better. Remarkably, McIlroy candidly opened up on the mental struggle he's now facing, revealing his uncertainty over what he's striving for next after achieving his Masters dream. "Yeah, I don't know if I'm chasing anything," he told reporters. "I would certainly say that the last few weeks I've had a couple weeks off, and going and grinding on the range for three or four hours every day is maybe a little tougher than it used to be." He added: "You have this event in your life that you've worked towards and it happens, sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to get back on the horse and go again." Since securing the Masters title, McIlroy has only teed off at the Truist Championship and the PGA Championship, notably skipping the Memorial Tournament. His recent performance at the PGA Championship was less than stellar, ending up T47. The golf star hinted that his selective approach to tournaments post-Masters is a result of achieving a career and emotional peak, leading him to contemplate his next moves. McIlroy has also been using this period for mental preparation, aiming for continued success. "I think the last two weeks have been good for me just as a reset, just to sort of figure out where I'm at in my own head, what I want to do, where I want to play," he added. "Yeah, reset some goals. "I thought it was a good time to reset some goals. I've had a pretty good first half of the season, and I want to have a good second half of the season now, too." Some, like McIlory's putting coach Brad Faxon, believing completing his career Grand Slam could be the perfect time for McIlroy to walk away from the sport. "Nobody would fault him if he said, 'I'm good, I don't have to do this anymore'," Faxon said, speaking to 'The Smylie Show' He added: "I am in that awkward and interesting position of having been part of Rory's team for so long now. To reach that goal, and to do it at the Masters. I always thought Rory would definitely win more majors before he won the Masters. "I didn't know he would win the Masters before he won another one of those majors."
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Ronnie O'Sullivan launches new career move ahead of quitting UK for 'new life'
Ronnie O'Sullivan has not played since his World Championship semi-final defeat to Zhao Xintong in May and has now confirmed his next career move by launching his own YouTube channel Ronnie O'Sullivan has revealed his latest venture - he's now a YouTuber. The seven-time World Snooker Championship winner barely featured competitively during the latter half of last season, having shattered his cue in frustration during the Championship League in January. He withdrew from the Masters, where he was set to defend his crown, as well as several other events, before eventually returning to competition at the World Championship - with a fresh cue. Although he reached the semi-finals, 'The Rocket' cut a frustrated figure, voicing concerns over both his performance and his equipment. In a drastic move, he had the tip and ferrule of his cue replaced mid-match during his last four clash with Zhao Xintong. Following a heavy 17-7 loss to the Chinese star, the snooker icon shared his intention to spend more time in the Middle East and become more selective with his participation in tournaments. He's now branched into a new endeavour he can pursue from anywhere - starting his own YouTube channel. Sharing a link to a video of his historic 1000th professional century, achieved during the 2019 Players Championship final, O'Sullivan took to X to announce his new venture. "Finally gone and got a YouTube channel," he wrote. "I will be uploading all sorts here from some of my favourite shots and matches to me cooking to me meeting and chatting to some interesting people. Hope you guys enjoy it!!" However, there is currently just one video on the channel - a clip of him achieving a 147 during a practice session in Saudi Arabia prior to the World Championship. The video showcasing the 1000th century appeared to have been taken down. Another said: "Good luck Ron, keep grafting & playing for as long as you can." A third joked: "Ronnie O'Sullivan cooking must be Fast Food!" After his elimination at the Crucible, O'Sullivan outlined his short-term plans, which include leaving the UK. "I think I'm going to be moving out of the UK this year. A new life somewhere else," the 49-year-old announced. "I'll still try and play snooker but I don't know what the future looks like for me really. I'm moving away soon so I'll just see how it goes. There's a lot of more important things in life to worry about than a game of snooker. "For me, it's a big part of my life, but I've got to try and figure out what my future looks like, whether it's playing or not. I'll be moving away to the Middle East but we'll see how it goes. I might be back in six months, who knows!"
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Zverev swallows a fly before Djokovic swats him in Paris
The 38-year-old was trailing Zverev by a set when the German accidentally swallowed a fly. Zverev, who lost in last year's final to Carlos Alcaraz despite leading two sets to one, promptly choked again as Djokovic won 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4. Djokovic was buzzing after stretching his winning run at Roland Garros to 22 matches – he was last beaten here in 2022 by Rafael Nadal. 41 SHOTS RALLY TO SAVE A BREAK POINT 🤯#RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2025 Since then he claimed the title in 2023, pulled out injured before his quarter-final last year and took Olympic gold in August. Djokovic dropped serve in the first game, but Zverev did not manage another break for the rest of the three-hour 17-minute contest, the defining moment of which came in the fourth set when the Serbian won an incredible 41-shot rally to stave off a break point. And if Djokovic is going to win a record 25th grand-slam title in Paris, he is going to have to do it the hard way. Having accounted for Zverev, the third seed, he faces number one Jannik Sinner in the last four and, if he wins that, he will most likely meet second seed Alcaraz in Sunday's final. It would be an unprecedented one, two, three at a men's grand slam and replicate Steffi Graf's feat when she won the women's French Open title in 1999. Novak Djokovic came through a tough contest in Paris (Lindsey Wasson/AP) Djokovic took match point at the fifth attempt thanks the last of many drop shots. He said: 'My way of playing is based on running but at my age it's not so easy to run so much. I tried to impose my rhythm with one or two drop shots. Tonight is one of those reasons why I still keep playing. 'I was obviously tense to finish off the match and I think he just was playing consistent from the back of the court in the last game, not making errors and making me work. 'Obviously beating one of the best players in the world on the biggest stages is something that I definitely work for, and I still push myself on a daily basis at this age because of these kind of matches and these kind of experiences. 'It's a proven kind of testament to myself, and to others, that I can still play on the highest level.'
