There’s been plenty of discussion about Rory McIlroy’s decision to sit out the Memorial, but the Northern Irishman has now cleared up the speculation around his absence.
Jack Nicklaus looked a bit disappointed by the move, and there was some noise in the media over McIlroy not reaching out to let him know ahead of time.
Scottie Scheffler stole the show regardless, but fans certainly aimed criticism at McIlroy for his omission from the competition.
There was stone-cold silence from the Northern Irishman. That is – until now.
Why did Rory McIlroy miss The Memorial Tournament?
According to McIlroy, it all comes down to his schedule and ultimately, what he feels is best for him right now as to whether he plays in these competitions.
“I just wanted to do what was best for me looking towards the US Open,” McIlroy told the Golf Channel.
“I have realised that I am not 25 any more, I am 36. For a 36-year-old, there is a lot of miles on the clock and I just don’t want to play for four weeks in a row at this point in my career. I was always going to play here, I skipped the Travellers last year, so I want to make good on that and make good there.
“At some point something has to give and I made the decision at the start of the year, when I was making my schedule, that Memorial was not going to be a part of it. That is tough, it’s one of the best tournaments that we have but I just felt for my schedule and my preparation, especially for the US Open it was the right decision.”
Was Rory McIlroy in the right?
Only Rory himself knows what is best for him. Given what he’s done within the sport, plus his age, it’s safe to argue that McIlroy is perfectly entitled to do what he wants.
For the high-earner McIlroy, his legacy is now going to be about how many majors he can win. He is on five and has the career grand slam in the bag.
However, he won’t want to look back when his career does come to an end, and have any regrets on how things panned out.
Getting that rest in and resetting, then, might well be the best thing he’s done. That said, only time will tell.
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