Why isn’t Rory McIlroy playing in the Memorial Tournament 2025?

Rory McIlroy won’t be teeing it up at the Memorial Tournament next week, and the timing has raised a few eyebrows. The world No. 2 and reigning Masters champion is not listed among the competitors at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio, marking his first absence from the event since 2017.

McIlroy missing Memorial ‘25

It’s a notable omission. Eighteen of the top 20 players in the world are expected to compete in Dublin, Ohio, including No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who will defend his 2024 title. The only other top-10 name missing is Bryson DeChambeau, now on the LIV Tour.

McIlroy, 36, has shown flashes of strong form since clinching the career Grand Slam at Augusta in April, with top-12 finishes at the Zurich Classic and the Truist Championship. But his T-47 finish at the PGA Championship last weekend, where he shot +3, suggests fatigue or a need to reset may be behind the decision.

Rory’s routine ahead of US Open?

There’s no official reason from McIlroy’s camp yet, but with a packed summer ahead – including the U.S. Open and the Open Championship – it looks like a calculated break, even if it means missing Jack Nicklaus’ iconic event. And Nicklaus had his own view and respect for the player’s choice.

“It surprised me but the guys have got schedules and things they do.,” the golfing legend began when asked. “I haven’t talked to him for him to tell me why or why not... it’s his call. I made a lot of calls to play or not play, and sometimes it wasn’t as popular as people thought it was. You know, sometimes you need to make those calls.

“I don’t hold anything against Rory for that. He does what he likes to play. I know he likes to play the week before the US Open, so that’s what he’s doing. I’m a big Rory fan, always have been, and I’m sure it will remain that way.”

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