'This is actually laughable...' PGA Tour fans react to shock Rory McIlroy news

Rory McIlroy has confirmed he will bypass next week's $20m Memorial Tournament hosted by golf legend Jack Nicklaus from 29 May to 1 June. 

It will mark the first time in eight years that McIlroy, 36, has missed out on playing in the famed PGA Tour event at Muirfield Village. 

McIlroy has never won the Memorial. 

The 2025 renewal of the coveted Memorial Tournament marks the seventh of eight Signature Events on the PGA Tour this season. 

What becomes even more shocking is that last season McIlroy called for the Memorial to change place on the PGA Tour schedule.

McIlroy felt it should be a stand-alone event. 

That was after the 2024 Memorial Tournament took place a week before the U.S. Open.

"This is more than a tune-up for the U.S. Open," McIlroy said during the Memorial last season where he went on to finish T15. 

"This is a huge tournament, with the host being arguably the greatest player ever to play the game, so it needs to stand on its own a little bit."

Off the back of comments from McIlroy and others, Nicklaus and the PGA Tour decided to move the Memorial Tournament forward in this year's schedule and two weeks before golf's third major of the season at Oakmont. 

Only McIlroy isn't bothering to show up...

Instead, the Masters champion is going to compete in the following week's RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto, which takes place a week before the U.S. Open. 

McIlroy will now have missed three of the first seven Signature Events on the PGA Tour.

He missed The Sentry at the start of the season, the RBC Heritage after winning The Masters in April and now the Memorial Tournament. 

But despite missing three Signature Events on the PGA Tour this season, Mcilroy will not be fined like he was in 2023. 

McIlroy made it clear at the start of the season that he would be reducing his playing schedule in 2025.

But he revealed earlier this month he would be playing in the Australian Open in December for the first time in 11 years.

Then earlier this week McIlroy confirmed he would be making his first ever start in India this October. 

Here's a look at McIlroy's 2025 schedule. 

How McIlroy's Memorial decision sits with sponsors, Nicklaus and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan remains to be seen.

Signature Events with giant prize purses were set up to get all the world's biggest and best PGA Tour stars together more often. 

Therefore to see arguably the PGA Tour's biggest superstar skip a trio of Signature Events raises plenty of question marks. 

McIlroy's decision to bypass Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village has certainly not gone down well with a number of PGA Tour fans. 

"This is actually laughable given he wanted to change the date of the Memorial in the first place," wrote one disgruntled fan on X / Twitter. 

"Absolute joke, bet Jack is fuming about this," tweeted another frustrated fan.

"Skipping Jack's event is a bad look," wrote one. 

Another commented; "I think he's p***** at the tour and media for the driver leak last week. No one else, including Scottie, had the same info leaked. He probably feels targeted by someone(s) in the org and he's taking a break."

As the above comment suggests, McIlroy has still yet to speak with the media after news broke last week that his 'gamer' driver had been deemed to be 'non-conforming' ahead of the PGA Championship.

While that should have become a non-story and shut down quickly, especially since PGA champion Scottie Scheffler declared his own driver failed the latest CT test with the USGA, it has certainly become a bigger one now in light of McIlroy's silence on the subject. 

McIlroy declined all interview requests from Thursday to Sunday at Quail Hollow Club.

It now remains to be seen whether he chooses to speak with the media at the RBC Canadian Open from 5-8 June.

But he will have to sooner rather than later since the topic isn't going away... 

World No.1 and defending champion Scheffler will start as a red-hot tournament favourite in the limited-field Memorial. 

Other stars in action include Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg and 2023 champion Viktor Hovland. 

And yes, you guessed it, Rickie Fowler received yet another sponsor's exemption.

the Memorial Tournament field 2025