5x major champion Rory McIlroy Under Severe Backlash from Fans as He SNUBS Jack Nicklaus and Skips the Memorial: “Becoming Less and Less Likable”

Rory McIlroy will not be teeing off at the Memorial Tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus this week as he has decided to skip this event.

5x major champion Rory McIlroy Under Severe Backlash from Fans as He SNUBS Jack Nicklaus and Skips the Memorial: “Becoming Less and Less Likable”

Rory McIlroy and Jack Nicklaus (Image via Imago)

Rory McIlroy has once again found himself in hot water. The 5-time major champion decided to skip the Memorial Tournament. While that decision of his has been backed by some, him not calling Jack Nicklaus has led to severe backlash.

Played at the Nicklaus-designed course at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, the Memorial Tournament is a huge event on the PGA Tour. Nicklaus, the 18-time major champion, serves as the host of this event annually.

This week, McIlroy will not be part of this event. The 2025 Masters Champion decided to skip this event. While Nicklaus is okay with his, in the press conference, he did admit to being a little surprised by the North Irishman not reaching out to him.

Yeah, it surprised me.

However, the Golden Bear would then back the golfer and expressed that there are lot of events on the tour which sometimes makes it hard for players.

You know, guys have got schedules and got things they do. And you know, I haven’t talked to him for him to tell me why or why not. You know, that’s just his call.

This will be the first time since 2017 that McIlroy will not tee up at the Memorial Tournament. The 36-year-old was last seen at the PGA Championship. In the second major of the year, the grand slam champion finished T47 while being 3-over par for the event.

Social media reacts to Rory McIlroy not calling Jack Nicklaus and skipping the Memorial Tournament

A few days ago, Rory McIlroy made his intentions clear that he will not be teeing off at The Memorial this week. The World No.2 will not be in the field alongside some other top names.

Jack Nicklaus and Rory McIlroy
Jack Nicklaus and Rory McIlroy (Image via Imago)

While fans on social media backed him for his choice, several of them did not like his behavior towards Jack Nicklaus. Many urged that he should have at least informed Nicklaus directly, considering his relationship with him.

On X, several users bashed the former World No.1 for this. One fan wrote, “Rory is becoming less and less likable by the week” while taking a swipe at him.

Check out that and some more reactions from fans regarding this incident below:

With him skipping this event, McIlroy’s next appearance on the PGA Tour will be at the RBC Canadian Open. This event will take place at TPC Toronto from June 5 to 8.

Rory McIlroy has been facing the heat for his actions in recent times

In April, Rory McIlroy was on top of the golfing world as he finally won the Masters Tournament and completed the grand slam. Since then, there have been some actions from him which has seen him face the heat and wrath of the fans.

Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy (Image via Imago)

Before the PGA Championship, the golfer’s driver was found to be non-conforming. This meant that he could not use that equipment for the tournament.

McIlroy went on to skip talking to the media on all 4 days of the event. He did not say a single word and would walk out of the course once his round was over. This saw several fans criticizing him.

It was not the first time McIlroy had done this. After suffering a heartbreaking defeat at the U.S. Open last year, he would walk out of the locker room and head towards the parking lot. From there, he drove off in his car and skipped the post-round press conference after the final round.

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