Latest news with #McIlroy
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Golfer's husband is caddy for competitor
McIlroy had 'strange week' at PGA Championship Golf Today looks back at Rory McIlroy's struggles during the PGA Championship, sharing why he should have been taking "victory laps" instead of blowing off the media during the tournament. 9:03 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
RTÉ News
10 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Shane Lowry makes good start at Memorial Tournament
Shane Lowry made a good start at the Memorial Tournament on Thursday, shooting a three-under 69 that left him within sight of the clubhouse lead. American Ben Griffin is the early pace setter at Muirfield Village, his seven-under 65 setting the target for the rest. However Lowry will be happy with his day's work at the $20m tournament. The Offaly man picked up three birdies to offset a couple of bogeys, but the highlight of his round came on the par-five seventh. A super approach shot left him within four feet of the hole for an eagle, which he drained. Colin Morikawa is five-under, one shot ahead of another American, Max Homa. Earlier this week Jack Nicklaus admitted he was surprised that Rory McIlroy was not competing in Ohio. McIlroy is skipping Nicklaus' prestigious annual event for the first time since 2017. 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 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."
Newsweek
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
PGA Tour Brass Defends Rory McIlroy's Choice to Skip The Memorial
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. It is a special week on the PGA Tour. The world's best golfers have descended upon Muirfield Village in Ohio for the Memorial Tournament. Well, most of the world's best are playing. Rory McIlroy turned heads when he decided to skip the tournament for the first time in nine years. Nicklaus acknowledged even he was surprised to hear of McIlroy's decision earlier this week. Although, he made it clear it was his choice to make and he does not hold it against him. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan took it a step further defending the Northern Irishman. "The beauty of our model is that our players have the ability to select their schedule," Monahan said. "What Rory McIlroy has done, I think he's played in this tournament every year since 2017. And you look at the tournaments that he's supported. I don't have any concern, because you look at this on balance over time, his support of our tournaments and our partners is extraordinary." PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 17: Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR, congratulates Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland for winning the playoff in the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium... PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 17: Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR, congratulates Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland for winning the playoff in the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 17, 2025 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) More Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Indeed, McIlroy has been a mainstay at nearly every significant tournament on tour for more than a decade. In the post-Tiger Woods era of domination, the five-time major champion took up the mantle of being the face of the PGA Tour. That includes initially digging his heels in against LIV Golf upon its emergence in 2022. Earlier this year, McIlroy completed the grand slam, winning the 2025 Masters Tournament in dramatic fashion. Since that time, he has made three starts; namely the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the Truist Championship (formerly Wells Fargo) and the PLAYERS Championship. The last of which was his worst performance of the year. He finished tied for 47th after barely making the cut. During the PLAYERS, it was revealed that McIlroy's driver failed USGA random testing. That forced the 36-year-old to switch out heads before teeing off that week. Interestingly, McIlroy then opted not to speak to the media following all four rounds. That alone brought its own set of criticism from fans. Nicklaus, when addressing the topic on Tuesday, said that while he cannot speak for McIlroy, he always felt it prudent to speak to the media. Rory McIlroy is slated to play in next week's RBC Canadian Open. He has always preferred playing the week before a major, and with the U.S. Open at Oakmont on tap in two weeks, maybe that is why he made the decision to sit out The Memorial. More Golf: Scottie Scheffler's Statement on New PGA Tour Championship Format
Daily Record
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson mockingly responds to Rory McIlroy's PGA Tour snub of Memorial Tournament
McIlroy is skipping the Memorial Tournament for the first time since 2016, with PGA Tour commissioner Monahan defending players' freedom to select their schedules LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson has taken a swipe at PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan over his defence of Rory McIlroy's decision to give this week's Memorial Tournament a miss. Masters champion McIlroy is sitting out his third signature event of the season, having previously missed The Sentry and the RBC Heritage. The Northern Irishman's decision to skip the tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, follows his refusal to speak to the press after each round of the PGA Championship a fortnight ago. McIlroy's media snub came on the back of a report that his driver didn't pass standard testing by the United States Golf Association ahead of the tournament, forcing him to switch to a backup. The 36 year old ended up sharing 47th place at Quail Hollow. The world No. 2 wasn't in the lineup for the Charles Schwab Challenge last week, and the Memorial Tournament marks the third of the tour's $20 million elevated events that he has chosen not to participate in this year. McIlroy hasn't yet given a reason for his absence at Muirfield Village, even to tournament host Jack Nicklaus, although he is scheduled to play three consecutive events starting next week at the Canadian Open. Monahan has made it clear that he isn't bothered by McIlroy's absence this week, praising his support for the tournament over the years. The commissioner also believes one of the strengths of the PGA Tour is players' ability to decide when and where they compete. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan spoke to Sports Illustrated about player autonomy within the tour. "You look at the beauty of our model is that our players have the ability to select their schedule," Monahan said. " Rory McIlroy I think has played this tournament every year since 2017 [13 times overall] and you look at the tournaments he has supported ... I don't have any concern because you look at this, on balance, over time, his support of our tournaments and our partners is extraordinary." Highlighting Rory McIlroy's fantastic season, Monahan continued: "Look at the season that Rory has had. He's had a life-altering season. He's won the Players Championship, you win the Masters Tournament, you win the [career] Grand Slam and you win the ATandT Pebble Beach Pro-Am." Phil Mickelson, instrumental in LIV Golf 's inception last year, reacted with laughter to Monahan's remarks. He dropped a couple of laughing emojis as a reply to Monahan's comments on social media. Additionally, Mickelson seized the chance to critique the PGA Tour's offerings. While PGA Tour golfers enjoy the freedom to choose which events to enter from a packed roster of stateside competitions, LIV Golf members are bound to play across the entirety of its more limited yet worldwide schedule. Six-time major winner Mickelson thinks the PGA Tour's current model, where players aren't required to participate in specific events, benefits the players but is limiting the tour's global growth. Sponsors are uncertain whether top players will compete in the events they're supporting. "It's why the PGA Tour won't ever be able to move throughout the world, why sponsors don't know what they are buying, why fans haven't seen all the best compete against each other consistently for decades, and why no other sport successfully uses this model. It was great for me and all players, but not good for anyone else."
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Rory McIlroy backed by PGA Tour commissioner despite skipping third signature event
The Masters champion has opted not to compete in the event, which is annually hosted by Jack Nicklaus at Muirfield Village in Ohio, and has thus far not given a reason why he is not playing. This is the first time since 2017 that McIlroy has not included the Memorial as part of his schedule but continues a trend this year of not being a regular fixture in the PGA Tour's elevated tournaments. The World No.2 also opted to skip the season-opening Sentry in January as well as April's RBC Heritage, the latter of which was more understandable given it came a week after his emotional victory at Augusta. It is worth pointing out that McIlroy has not only played in four other signature events this year but won one, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, while he was also the champion at the PGA Tour's flagship event, The Players Championship, in March. But despite not playing in three of the seven signature events thus far this season, and with his attendance at next month's Travelers Championship still up for debate, Monahan has come out in defence of McIlroy when speaking from Ohio. 'You look at the beauty of our model is that our players have the ability to select their schedule,' Monahan told a group of reporters at Muirfield Village. 'Rory McIlroy I think has played this tournament every year since 2017 and you look at the tournaments he has supported… I don't have any concern because you look at this, on balance, over time, his support of our tournaments and our partners is extraordinary. 'Look at the season that Rory has had. He's had a life-altering season. He's won the Players Championship, you win the Masters Tournament, you win the (career) Grand Slam and you win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.' The PGA Tour's eight signature events were created in 2022 as a response to the growing threat of LIV Golf, with the likes of McIlroy and Tiger Woods pushing the format of reduced 72-player fields, with each tournament possessing a prize fund of $20million and five of them carrying no 36-hole cut. Initially players were only allowed to skip one signature event they qualified for as a way of ensuring the top players all participated, although that requirement was dropped last year after McIlroy was essentially fined part of his Player Impact Bonus for skipping two events in 2023. Rather than play at the Memorial, the Holywood man will instead tee it up at next week's RBC Canadian Open, an event he has won twice, as his final preparation for the U.S. Open at Oakmont, which begins on June 12. Although McIlroy decided to skip his tournament, host Nicklaus said on Tuesday that he held nothing against the Northern Irishman for doing so, commenting: 'It surprised me. But guys have got schedules and got things they do. 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 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 U.S. Open. And so he… that's what he's doing. So I really don't have a comment on it. 'It's very difficult. 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.'
