Nicklaus surprised by Rory's absence at Memorial

Jack Nicklaus says he is surprised by Rory McIlroy's absence at this week's Memorial Tournament, but doesn't begrudge the Masters champion for skipping it.

The Memorial at Dublin, OH's Muirfield Village Golf Club was founded by "The Golden Bear" in 1976. This weekend's tournament will be the first one missed by McIlroy since 2017.

"Guys have got schedules and things they do," Nicklaus said. "I haven't talked to him to tell me why not. That's just his call. I made a lot of calls that I had to make when I played, to play or not play, and sometimes it wasn't as popular as people thought it was, but sometimes you have to make those calls."

McIlroy, 36, has committed to the RBC Canadian Open set for TPC Toronto at Ospreay Valley next weekend ahead of the U.S. Open.

"I don't hold anything against Rory for that," Nicklaus continued. "He does what he likes to play. I know he likes to play so many [tournaments] in a row, I know he likes to play the week before a U.S. Open, so that's what he's doing...I'm a big Rory fan, always have been, and I'm sure I'll remain that way."

The 2025 Memorial gets underway on Thursday with defending champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in the field.