RORY APOLOGIZES TO NICKLAUS FOR MISSING MEMORIAL

By Torleif Sorenson on 5/14/15

Rory McIlroy is the number-one golfer in the world — and his busy schedule reflects that. He's so busy that he will miss playing in the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus. According to Reuters golf writer Andrew Both, McIlroy decided to write a letter to Nicklaus, instead of phoning him.

Both reports that Nicklaus and McIlroy happened to meet face-to-face on Monday at the Bears Club in Florida (where each has a home) and that Nicklaus mentioned the letter. Said McIlroy afterward:

"The first thing he (Nicklaus) said to me was that he'd received my letter and I said to him I wanted to write rather than phone or just advise the tour. He seemed pretty taken back to get my letter and that made me feel good."

McIlroy rarely plays five straight weeks, but this year, he is:

• April 30-May 3: WGC-Cadillac Match Play (won)


• May 7-10: Players Championship (T-8)


• May 14-17: Wells Fargo Championship (Quail Hollow, Charlotte, North Carolina)


• May 21-24: BMW PGA Championship (Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England)


• May 28-31: Irish Open (Royal County Down, Newcastle, Northern Ireland)

McIlroy is the new host of the Irish Open, which now benefits his foundation. Nobody would expect him to skip such an event — and since Rory hasn't yet won the Irish Open, we can all understand that he would love to do so, at least once.

With McIlroy booked five weeks in a row, it is understandable that he would miss the Memorial (June 4-7) and the St. Jude in Memphis (June 11-14) in order to have some downtime and prep for the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay (June 18-21).
Not only is Quail Hollow a favorite stop for PGA Tour players, but McIlroy captured his first U.S. victory there in 2010, when he shot a dazzling final-round 62. He said that passing up the event this year was too much to resist.


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