For the man who once positioned himself as the PGA Tour’s fiercest loyalist, Rory McIlroy‘s latest scheduling choice feels like a direct contradiction, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

As per the latest reports, he will not play the Cadillac Championship at the Trump National Doral next week. The tournament runs from April 30 to May 3 at the Blue Monster in Miami, a course returning to the Tour calendar for the first time in a decade. What makes the move surprising is the tournament’s status.

The Cadillac Championship is the fifth signature event of the 2026 PGA Tour season and offers a a $20 million purse. It sits in the middle of a punishingly long stretch, three signature events packed into four weeks, all coming between the Masters and the PGA Championship.

This is the second consecutive PGA Tour signature event he has chosen to skip. McIlroy skipped the RBC Heritage 2026 the week after Augusta, which a few questioned, given he had just defended his green jacket.

The Northern Irishman also no longer faces any financial penalty in doing so. Three years ago, the mandatory participation rule was a foundational principle of the entire signature event system. When former Commissioner Jay Monahan introduced the format in 2023, he made it clear that the Tour’s best players would commit to participating together.

If a player missed more than one event, there would be a financial penalty. McIlroy himself was hit with a $2.2 million penalty for withdrawing from the RBC Heritage in 2023. However, by 2024, the Tour quietly eliminated the mandatory participation rule, shifting from obligation to incentive. They introduced larger purses and increased FedEx points, essentially giving players the choice to participate without any penalties.

The Cadillac Championship is the PGA Tour’s return to the Trump National Doral after a 10-year absence. The venue that hosted professional golf for over five decades was one of the most iconic stops on the calendar. This is its inaugural edition under the new banner. McIlroy also has a history there, having famously thrown a three-iron into the lake in frustration during the 2015 edition. For golf fans who feel the Tour’s biggest names owe the game their presence at moments like this, his absence is certainly not fitting well with a lot of people.

With all that said, Rory McIlroy is not the only big name sitting out the event. Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Åberg, and Robert MacIntyre are also absent. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headlines the 72-man field. Hearing the news, even Michael Kim could not help but weigh in.

“I hope to get to a point where I decide to skip a signature event even when healthy,” he wrote.

Structuring his schedule around the majors is nothing new for McIlroy.

Last year, after winning his first Masters and completing the career Grand Slam, he also skipped the RBC Heritage in the same fashion. In 2023, he missed the tournament, citing that he needed a break after missing a cut at Augusta. McIlroy has been seen openly talking about his change in the schedule, and he has also stated the reasons why.

“I’ll always look at the schedule at the start of the year and see what best fits me and my life and everything else that I sort of do, whether it’s with family or other opportunities that I’m pursuing outside of golf,” he said.

He also shared that he will use what he called the luxury of his position to choose his events. With six majors, a career Grand Slam, and a back-to-back green jacket, that luxury is certainly hard to agree with, but a lot of people on the internet do disagree.

For some, missing the signature event can read as respect, an acknowledgement that McIlroy has earned the right to dictate his schedule after 16 years at the top, while for others, it only adds to the frustration.

Golf fans are left divided over Rory McIlroy’s decision

Not everyone is giving Rory McIlroy a free pass. His absence is viewed differently because of who he is, not just a great player but someone who spent years as the most vocal advocate for the PGA Tour during the conflict with LIV Golf. He actively promoted Tour loyalty when LIV launched in 2022, appearing in press conferences, giving interviews, and publicly criticizing players who left.

“Self-designated ambassador of golf and face of the PGA nowadays just skips playing the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour events in the Middle East. Great golfer, but I can’t stand him,” one commented.

In August 2022, at the height of the LIV Golf conflict, McIlroy was among roughly 20 top players who gathered at the BMW Championship for a closed-door meeting. They agreed on a simple plan: to fight back by playing together more often in limited-field, high-purse events. McIlroy was one of the most vocal supporters in that room.

The new signature event system, including the inaugural Cadillac Championship at Doral next week, is a direct outcome of that meeting. However, now that he has his own league in place and the conflict is dwindling, he is nowhere to be seen.

“Different rules for Rory the Hypocrite,” another wrote bluntly in frustration. While another pointed to his absence as a pattern. “Same as last year. Wins the Masters and then thinks he’s bigger than golf.”

Another fan directly commented, “Isn’t that a penalty?”

Several fans have turned their frustration towards the PGA Tour scheduling and taken sides with Rory’s decision.

“Golf fans are so soft. Dude just won the Masters and is in his late 30s. Maybe he wants to relax with family and friends. Does it actually matter that he isn’t playing the world-famous Cadillac championship? Maybe the PGA Tour shouldn’t have signature events the week after a major.”

Fans aren’t the only ones noticing how tightly packed this week’s events are. Justin Thomas, who is competing in the Cadillac Championship, expressed his thoughts during the RBC Heritage.

“It’s not how I would prefer to draw it up,” he said.

Between the Masters and the PGA Championship, eight of the next 13 Tour events are either majors or signature events, leaving just two regular weeks in six weeks. Thomas also pointed out that the Truist Championship, which takes place a week after the Cadillac, will be held at Quail Hollow, the same course that hosted last year’s PGA Championship. Players are expected to compete in a major venue just one week before another major, which likely explains Rory McIlroy’s decision not to participate.

Some fans are focused on Rory McIlroy’s current position in his career and are genuinely trying to support his well-being.

“I don’t blame him for taking it easy; he doesn’t need to play more than necessary. He will likely participate in the majors and the playoffs, and that might be enough for him.” Others have a more straightforward message: “Take a break; you deserve it.”

Now, the eyes are on his next confirmed appearance, which is the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club from May 14-17.