Nicklaus surprised by McIlroy skipping his PGA Memorial event
WASHINGTON: Jack Nicklaus said Tuesday that he was surprised Masters winner Rory McIlroy did not tell him in advance that he was not playing in this week's Nicklaus-hosted PGA Memorial tournament.
For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
Nicklaus, an 18-time major winner, predicted McIlroy's triumph last month at Augusta National after hitting his own ceremonial opening tee shot.
Nicklaus said he has not heard from McIlroy since the Northern Ireland star captured his fifth major title and first Masters to complete a career Grand Slam.
McIlroy will miss the Memorial for the first time since 2017, instead playing next week's Canadian Open as his tuneup for the following week's US Open at Oakmont.
'I didn't have a conversation with him, no,' Nicklaus said, calling that 'a little bit' of a surprise.
'It surprised me. But guys have got schedules and got things they do. And I haven't talked to him for him to tell me why or why not. It's just his call,' Nicklaus said.
'I made a lot of calls that I had to make when I played to play or not play... sometimes you have to make those calls.
'I don't hold anything against Rory for that. I know he likes to play so many in a row. He likes to play the week before a US Open. And so that's what he's doing.
'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 said he had no problem about McIlroy not giving him advance warning about his absence.
'I'm not going to throw Rory under the bus. I like Rory too much,' said Nicklaus. 'He's got to make his own calls on things. Could he have done 'em differently? Probably. But that's all right. I probably could have done some of mine differently too. So I'm not complaining about Rory.'
Nicklaus said he sent McIlroy a congratulatory letter shortly after the Masters victory last month.
'I told him I don't think anybody has won by having four double bogeys,' Nicklaus said. '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.
'I was very happy for him. It was a great win.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
43 minutes ago
- Arab News
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Deadly Force'
Authors: Tom S. Clark, Adam N. Glynn, & Michael Leo Owens Police shootings in America spark outrage and protest and raise questions about police use of lethal force. Yet despite the attention given to high-profile shootings, it is extremely difficult to draw wider conclusions about the frequency and outcomes of police gunfire because there is no systematic and centralized source of information on these incidents. This pioneering book draws on original data, compiled by the authors, to examine police shootings, both fatal and non-fatal, in hundreds of American cities.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Top Republican lawmaker pushes Muslim Brotherhood terror designation in US Congress
A senior US lawmaker said Tuesday that he would look to introduce legislation aimed at designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. 'In the coming days, I will be circulating and re-introducing a modernized version of the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, which I have been pushing for my entire Senate career,' Senator Ted Cruz said in a post on X. Cruz went on to say that the Muslim Brotherhood used the Biden administration to consolidate and deepen its influence. 'But the Trump administration and Republican Congress can no longer afford to avoid the threat they pose to Americans and American national security,' he added. US President Donald Trump's senior director for counterterrorism, Sebastian Gorka, called the Muslim Brotherhood 'the progenitor of all modern' terror groups. Earlier this year, Jordan became the latest Arab country to ban the Muslim Brotherhood following a sabotage plot by the group that Jordanian security agencies foiled. Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the UAE have all banned the group. The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the region's oldest and most influential Islamist movements, currently led by Mohamed Badie in Egypt, who is currently serving jail time after he was sentenced in 2017 to life in prison and a death sentence for planning violent attacks. Badie and 37 others were accused of conspiring to stir unrest during protests that followed the July 2013 military overthrow of Egypt's former president Mohamed Morsi, who was a part of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Asharq Al-Awsat
9 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
England Coach Tuchel Expects Players to Suffer in World Cup Heat
England coach Thomas Tuchel will attend FIFA's Club World Cup starting this month to observe how players cope with the expected hot and humid weather conditions. Next year's World Cup, taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, could be one of the hottest in the tournament's history. "It is important to see matches now in America, and in Miami at three in the afternoon," Tuchel said as he prepared his team for their World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona. "I will see that. How it looks, and we need to understand how to cool the players down, to drink. What our options are." England are top of qualifying Group K and almost certain to qualify for next year's tournament where they will be among the favorites for the title. But Tuchel says the conditions will be harsh. "Let's see because it is after the season, so it will be very similar. The actual experience is for the players, but I have done pre-season there in Orlando and I will be very surprised if we do not suffer," he said. "Suffering is one of the headlines for this World Cup." England are preparing for the Andorra game in the Spanish city of Girona and are using heat tents to test the players reaction and recovery to training in heat and humidity. Sixteen stadiums will be used at next year's World Cup with predictions of potentially extreme temperatures. In Dallas, one of the host cities, in an average year more than 80% of June and July days exceed 28 degrees Celsius. A study led by Brunel University found that, according to analysis of 20 years of weather data, 14 of the 16 host stadiums would top 28 degrees Celsius on a daily basis in June and July with four likely to hit 32 degrees in a hotter than summer. FIFPRO, the world players union, recommends that if there is Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of between 28-32 degree, cooling breaks should take place around the 30th and 75th minutes. It says that if there is a WBGT of more than 32 degrees, training and matches should be rescheduled.
