Rory McIlroy knows where his priorities lie. At 36 years old, the Northern Irish golfer needs to pick and choose his battles on the PGA Tour, to stay fresh and focused. “If I can trim it down to 22 or 23, that will be good for me in the long run.”,  The 5-time Major winner had previously stated concerning the number of events he will participate in on the PGA Tour.

True to his words, McIlroy has made a decision. The 2025 Masters champion has opted out of the upcoming signature event, the Memorial Tournament. McIlroy has not explained his decision, which is quite strange considering that he has participated in the tournament since 2018 without missing a single edition. The signature event concept was created in order to ensure that the best players can be seen on the course together at certain specific events. The key to that- the bigger purse on offer.

Unlike other events, the signature events have a total prize pool of $20 million with the winner pocketing $4 million. This is incentive enough for the top players to compete at the eight signature events spread across the season. But McIlroy’s decision will surely be a surprise to Jay Monahan and Co.

Ryan Lavner and Rex Hoggard discussed the decision in detail on the Golf Channel podcast. Hoggard was eager to give Rory his deserved flowers for his decision. “Not surprised nor was I expecting any explanation. It is clear now that no amount of money, no amount of points, is going to make players play exactly where you want them to play. It is simply not in their DNA.” Hoggard stated.

McIlroy has played in 13 Memorial Tournaments, missing just the 2015 and 2017 editions. His run of seven straight appearances at the Jack Nicklaus-hosted event will come to an end this year. He has carded 5 top 10s in the tournament with his best ever finish coming in the 2016 edition where he finished T4. But his motivation and thought process is clear regarding why he chose to not participate in the 2025 edition.

“I do love the idea that Rory has been really clear about this. He has leaned into the idea that he wants to win national championships. US Opens, Canadian Opens, the Scottish Opens. The national championships mean something to him.” Hoggard professed. The allure of a national championship notwithstanding, McIlroy has also been very comfortable at the Canada-based event. The RBC Canadian Open is an event that the Northern Irish golfer has played the last 4 times it took place. He won the event twice during that span, in 2019 and 2022. He also finished in the top 10 in 2023 and 2024. A familiar playing ground would be the ideal preparation ahead of the third major of the season, i.e. the US Open.

“I guess the one thing that maybe does surprise me is that we are not seeing more top players do it. This is the way the schedule is condensed now. It is probably not conducive for a lot of players to play their best golf.” Hoggard added. Rory McIlroy is not alone in this cause. Scottie Scheffler opted to skip the signature event in Philadelphia, the Truist Championship. hoping improve his performance. Look how that worked out for him!

Scottie Scheffler’s rest proves to be a boon

“Last year going into the US Open, I feel like I learned a little bit about my prep work. Going from the Memorial to the US Open was definitely a challenge, playing a really difficult golf course a week before. Having not played Philly Cricket before, maybe that factored into my decision a little bit.” The World No.1 explained his decision to skip the Truist Championship held at Philadelphia. Now that decision has proved to be a fruitful one for the World No.1

In 2024, he headed to the US Open without any rest and ended up finishing T41, his worst-ever finish at a major where he made the cutline. But now with nearly three weeks at home, (the CJ Cup was played in Dallas where Scheffler resides), the two-time Masters winner headed to the PGA Championship rested and rejuvenated. And Voila! He came away with his third major victory. It will not be a surprise to see this formula being adopted across the PGA Tour for the coming majors. Scheffler himself will understand the importance of rest before a major and now McIlroy has also followed suit in a similar capacity.

Do you think we will see more PGA Tour pros follow suit in a bid to perform well at the Majors?