Washington (AFP) – Jack Nicklaus said Tuesday that he was surprised Masters winner Rory McIlroy did not tell him in advance that he was not playing in this week’s Nicklaus-hosted PGA Memorial tournament. Nicklaus, an 18-time major winner, predicted McIlroy’s triumph last month at Augusta National after hitting his own ceremonial opening tee shot.
Nicklaus said he has not heard from McIlroy since the Northern Ireland star captured his fifth major title and first Masters to complete a career Grand Slam. McIlroy will miss the Memorial for the first time since 2017, instead playing next week’s Canadian Open as his tune-up for the following week’s US Open at Oakmont.
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“I didn’t have a conversation with him, no,” Nicklaus said, calling that “a little bit” of a surprise. “It surprised me. But guys have got schedules and got things they do. And I haven’t talked to him for him to tell me why or why not. It’s just his call,” Nicklaus said. “I made a lot of calls that I had to make when I played to play or not play…sometimes you have to make those calls.”
“I don’t hold anything against Rory for that. I know he likes to play so many in a row. He likes to play the week before a US Open. And so that’s what he’s doing. I mean, I’m a big Rory fan, I always have been. I’m sure that I will remain that way. I just, I was a little surprised, yes.”
Nicklaus said he had no problem about McIlroy not giving him advance warning about his absence. “I’m not going to throw Rory under the bus. I like Rory too much,” said Nicklaus. “He’s got to make his own calls on things. Could he have done ’em differently? Probably. But that’s all right. I probably could have done some of mine differently too. So I’m not complaining about Rory.”
Nicklaus said he sent McIlroy a congratulatory letter shortly after the Masters victory last month. “I told him I don’t think anybody has won by having four double bogeys,” Nicklaus said. “And I said, ‘But that just showed me how much talent you have to overcome that to win and how you played some unbelievably spectacular shots. I was very happy for him. It was a great win.”
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