Latest news with #TheSentry
New Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Jay Monahan on Rory McIlroy's schedule: 'I don't have any concern'
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan came to the defense of Rory McIlroy, whose tournament scheduling plan will leave him out of the Memorial Tournament this week and mark the third signature event he has missed this season. "The beauty of our model is that our players have the ability to select their schedule," Monahan told reporters on Wednesday at Muirfield Village Golf Club, site of this week's Memorial Tournament. "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." In addition to skipping this week's 50th edition of the Memorial, the world's No. 2 player also bypassed The Sentry and the RBC Heritage, both signature events. McIlroy, 36, raised a few eyebrows by opting to skip the Memorial Tournament in favor of next week's RBC Canadian Open. The native of Northern Ireland has admitted to a preference of playing the week before a major championship. The Memorial Tournament and Canadian Open flipped places on the calendar this year, with the Canadian now leading directly into the June 12-15 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters last month. He earned his first green jacket and fifth career major in dramatic fashion, overcoming two double bogeys in the first round and two more on Sunday before beating England's Justin Rose in a playoff. "Look at the season that Rory has had. He's had a life-altering season," Monahan said. "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."
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."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nicklaus 'big fan' of McIlroy despite Memorial absence
Jack Nicklaus says he remains "a big fan" of Rory McIlroy despite expressing surprise that the Masters champion is not competing at his Memorial Tournament in Ohio this week. For the first time since 2017, McIlroy has opted to sit out the event Nicklaus hosts annually at Muirfield Village. It will be the third time this year that the 36-year-old from Northern Ireland has not featured in one of the PGA Tour's signature events after also skipping The Sentry and the RBC Heritage. 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." McIlroy to miss Memorial signature event McIlroy 'excited' to play first event in India McIlroy and the 'non-conforming' driver controversy McIlroy joined 18-time major champion Nicklaus as part of an elite group of six players who have completed a career grand slam of all four major tournaments by winning The Masters at Augusta in April. The world number two subsequently tied for 47th place at the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow and is set to return to competitive action at the Canadian Open on 5 June as he prepares for the season's third major, the US Open at Oakmont in Pennsylvania, from 12-15 June. The PGA Tour's final signature event of the season, the Travelers Championship, will be staged in Connecticut the following week. "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. So, you know, I really don't have a comment on it," added Nicklaus. "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."
NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Tournament host Jack Nicklaus 'surprised' Rory McIlroy skipping Memorial
DUBLIN, Ohio – When the field list for this week's Memorial was released last Friday, there was one name that was conspicuous in its absence: Rory McIlroy. It's not an outrageous surprise for a player to skip one of the circuit's $20 million signature events considering how condensed the schedule has become around the majors. McIlroy already has missed two signature events, The Sentry to start the year and the RBC Heritage, and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler didn't play the Truist Championship earlier this month. Still, there was at least one person who was surprised that the Masters champion skipped a trip to Muirfield Village. 'I didn't have a conversation with him, no,' said Jack Nicklaus, who was then asked if McIlroy's absence surprised him: 'A little bit.' Since winning the Masters and completing the career Grand Slam, McIlroy has played the Zurich Classic, which the Northern Irishman won last year teamed with Shane Lowry, and the PGA Championship. He also plans to play next week's RBC Canadian Open, which he won in 2022. If McIlroy played the Memorial, it would have been back-to-back weeks before the U.S. Open and likely four in a row with the Travelers Championship, another signature event which he will likely play, the week after the national championship. 'It surprised me. But, you know, guys have got schedules and got things they do,' Nicklaus said. '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 that's what he's doing.' Nicklaus picked McIlroy to win the Masters and spent a lunch with the world No. 2 before the year's first major going over his gameplan for Augusta National. 'We went through it shot for shot. And he got done with the round, and I didn't open my mouth. And I said, 'Well, I wouldn't change a thing,'' Nicklaus said last month at the Masters.
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shane Lowry returns at Jack's $20m Memorial Tournament as Rory McIlroy skips yet another PGA Tour Signature event
SHANE Lowry will be back in action this week at Jack's event as the PGA Tour heads to Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. The 2 Shane Lowry returns to action at this week's Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio 2 Rory McIlroy will sit out a second-straight week on the PGA Tour It will be the first time the has missed Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament since 2017. The world number two hasn't teed it up since a disappointing And McIlroy also refused to speak with the media for any of his four rounds at the season's second major, where he made headlines for swapping out a The Holywood hotshot is the only player from the top-20 on the read more on golf The Northern Irishman has been vocal about cutting down his schedule in 2024 and has now skipped three of the 36-year-old McIlroy also skipped The Sentry and RBC Heritage earlier this year. As for Lowry, it will also be his first showing since World number one Scottie Scheffler heads the star-studded field as he'll look to win his third tournament in his last four starts. Most read in Golf The event has a limited field of just 72 players, who will compete for a staggering 20 million dollar purse. Fears over Scottie Scheffler after 'painful' moment spotted by fans while at Charles Schwab Three-time major winner Scheffler's one-shot victory over Collin Morikawa last year earned the Texan a 4 million dollar payday - up 400,000 dollars from the cheque pocketed by 2023 winner Viktor Hovland. This year, the top four finishers are each guaranteed at least 1 million dollars, while even the last-placed professional will walk away with 52,000 dollars. The winner at the Memorial Tournament will also collect 700 FedEx Cup points and all the usual spoils, including a two-year PGA Tour exemption. All the action gets underway from Thursday, live on SKY SPORTS GOLF.
