The PGA Tour is facing a glaring issue. The $20 million purse signature events were created with an ostentatious purpose: to pit the best against the best. Give fans what they want and, in the process, fill the coffers of the title sponsors as well. The reality is, other than the PLAYERS Championship, the PGA Tour has struggled out of the gates to set the strongest field for its flagship tournaments. Once again, they are stuck in the same hole as the two best players decided to pull out of two signature events.

Rory McIlroy, World No. 2, earlier skipped the RBC Heritage, a signature event right after the Masters. The Ulsterman was expected to be back for the Cadillac Championship next week, which marks the PGA Tour’s return to Trump Doral for the first time in a decade. But surprisingly, McIlroy is not in the field, and he is far from the only player curtailing signature events from their schedule.

Scottie Scheffler, World No. 1, will tee off at the Cadillac Championship but has decided to skip the Truist Championship, which is scheduled for May 7. So, that means either Scottie or Rory has been or will be absent from three back-to-back signature events. This flies in the face of the PGA Tour’s vision, and they have only themselves to blame for one key reason.

As Sean Zak from Golf.com pointed out, “One problem the PGA Tour needs to solve: Three Signature Events between the Masters and PGA Champ. ZERO featuring BOTH Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. Hilton Head: Rory OUT, Scottie IN, Doral: Rory OUT, Scottie IN, Quail Hollow: Rory IN, Scottie OUT.”

These three signature events–the RBC Heritage, the Cadillac Championship, and the Truist Championship–are shoehorned between the Masters and the PGA Championship. The RBC Heritage is hosted four days after the first men’s major. On the other hand, two back-to-back signature events–Cadillac and Truist–will lead to the PGA Championship.

For McIlroy and Scheffler, it becomes an obvious choice to tee off in one of these two as a tune-up to the major instead of playing all three, which means traveling from Florida (Cadillac) to North Carolina (Truist) and then to Pennsylvania (PGA Championship). In fact, not just these two but Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Aberg, and Robert MacIntyre are also absent from the Cadillac Championship. This comes at a bad time for the Tour, which is already grappling with plummeting viewership numbers.

Other than the Arnold Palmer Invitational, all three signature events this year have shown a decrease in year-to-year average viewers. Genesis Invitational recorded the highest decline, with viewership numbers plummeting to 3.27 million (-3.8%). So the absence of two heavyweights might deal another blow to the PGA Tour’s TV ratings. But it also matches a historic pattern, which the Tour wanted to curb by imposing fines on players.

The World No. 1, for the record, has teed off in Quail Hollow only once since joining the PGA Tour. That was last year, when the course hosted the PGA Championship. Rory, on the other hand, has teed off at the RBC Heritage only three times in his decade-long career. Nevertheless, his decision to skip the Trump Doral event was surprising and goes on to show how badly the PGA Tour’s schedule has misfired.

Rory McIlroy has a close rapport with the POTUS, having visited him right after winning the Masters. But courtesy becomes secondary when you are chasing a bigger goal. Last December, the six-time major winner clearly stated that he would prioritize majors and Ryder Cups. Clearly, the Truist Championship, which he has won four times in his career, came high in the pecking order.

Historically, the Ulsterman has used Quail Hollow as his final tune-up before the PGA Championship, even when the tournament was scheduled two weeks before the major, instead of the week before this year.

Notably, when the PGA Tour announced the creation of elevated events, it also came with a condition. If anyone missed two signature events, they will be financially penalized. The PGA Tour docked $3 million from Rory McIlroy’s $12 million bonus that he earned for coming second in the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program. That rule has since been nullified.

As one can imagine, the golf community was not happy about the PGA Tour’s schedule that compelled the two best golfers to miss two important events. And they shared their thoughts on Scheffler & McIlroy’s scheduling preferences.

Netizens vent on the PGA Tour for Scottie Scheffler & Rory McIlroy’s schedule

Who would want to play so many Signature events between two majors? Certainly not the two best golfers in the world. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy’s absence is expected. But the internet is not happy with the PGA Tour’s scheduling blunder.

Someone wrote, “Awful scheduling when Doral became a signature event. @PGATOUR. Also need to move @PGAChampionship back to August.”

It’s only the Masters Tournament and the PGA Championship that are suffering. There is only one Signature event each between the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, and the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. Moreover, fan-favorite and unique events like the Zurich Classic are suffering from a weakened field because of this schedule.

A fan said, “I understand PGA Tour’s need to have top golfers play together more often but they really can’t expect them to play 2 events before a major. They need to reshuffle the schedule in a way that pros don’t have to choose between signature events and they can actually play all 8.”

The Cadillac Championship was confirmed for the 2026 PGA Tour schedule late last year. While it was worth celebrating the inclusion of a new event, fans weren’t happy with how congested it made the calendar. Moreover, the fan also wants the PGA Championship to be moved back to August, like it was till 2018. Moving it back to the old schedule will give the pros some breathing space.

Another comment read, “This is a one-off with Doral being added to the schedule last minute. With the likely reworked schedule starting next year, hopefully the bigger events will be spread out.”

One of the fans said, “I believe 100% that they are to close together. They should be 6 maybe 7 weeks apart.”

Another fan had the same views as they said, “No real sympathy for PGA tour on this one. How you can even think three signature events between majors was a sensible idea I don’t know. Anyway if they can start working now on having a much more spread schedule next year with proper space given to signatures it can be made up.”

From the beginning of February to the end of March, the Tour only had three signature events and the PLAYERS Championship. The last couple of signature tournaments are also played a month apart. However, the month of April and early May are the only times top golfers have been put in this predicament.

It’s worth noting that both Scheffler and McIlroy played every big event before the Masters Tournament together. It’s only between the Augusta National trip and the PGA Championship that they have had to choose carefully. So it all boils down to a message about the PGA Tour schedule. Maybe Rolapp can look into it for the 2027 season.