Monahan Defends McIlroy Amid Criticism for Tournament Absences
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan came to the defense of Rory McIlroy, who has been the subject of criticism for his tournament scheduling plan. This plan will leave him out of the Memorial Tournament this week, marking the third time he has been absent from a major event this season.
“The beauty of our model is that our players have the ability to select their schedule,” Monahan told reporters on Wednesday at Muirfield Village Golf Club, host of this week’s Memorial Tournament.
Jay Monahan, PGA Tour Commissioner
Monahan highlighted McIlroy’s career, mentioning his consistent participation in the Memorial Tournament since 2017 and his general support for the tournaments and circuit partners.
In addition to skipping the 50th edition of the Memorial, the world number 2 also missed The Sentry and the RBC Heritage, both prominent events.McIlroy, 36, surprised everyone by choosing not to participate in the Memorial Tournament, preferring instead the RBC Canadian Open next week.
The Northern Irish golfer has expressed his preference for playing the week before a major championship. This year, the Memorial Tournament and the Canadian Open swapped their positions on the calendar, with the Canadian Open directly preceding the U.S. Open, which will be held from June 12-15 at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania.McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters last month. He secured his first green jacket and his fifth major in a thrilling performance, overcoming two double bogeys in the first round and two more on Sunday, before defeating Justin Rose in a playoff.
“Look at the season Rory has had. It’s been a life-changing season for him,” Monahan added. “He won the Players Championship, he won the Masters Tournament, he won the (career Grand Slam) and he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.”
Jay Monahan, PGA Tour Commissioner
