Back in 2015, Rory McIlroy missed out on the Memorial Tournament.
McIlroy also skipped the 2025 event and did not reach out to Jack Nicklaus to explain his decision to miss Muirfield Village.
The Northern Irishman has appeared at the Memorial 13 times, making the cut on 11 occasions.
Even so, the 36-year-old has never won Nicklaus’ event and only has two top-five finishes there.
While Muirfield Village might not suit his style of play, it remains one of the standout tournaments on the PGA Tour calendar.
This has not stopped McIlroy from withdrawing from the event multiple times throughout his career, even as a five-time major winner.
Jack Nicklaus recalls how Rory McIlroy told him he was ‘in a pickle’ before the Memorial
In the lead-up to the 2015 Memorial, McIlroy had missed two cuts in a row and looked like he needed some time away from the game.
Nicklaus spoke to reporters ahead of the Memorial tournament 11 years ago and responded when asked whether he was disappointed that the Northern Irishman chose to skip his event.
‘The Golden Bear’ said: “Most of the guys who aren’t here this week have come to me and said ‘Jack I’ve got this problem.
“I said ‘Hey wait a minute, don’t worry about us, you’ve got to do what’s right for you’. I ended up having to make those choices at times, what was right for me. I respect what the guys have to do and how they are pulled from so many directions, and for the most part the guys have been here.
“He came to me and talked to me and said he was in a pickle. I said ‘Rory, don’t worry about it. You and I are very close, we have no issues. If you have stuff you gotta do in Ireland, you got to do what’s right for you. You gotta get yourself ready for the US Open’.
“And that’s fine with me. And from the way I handled it, I don’t think you will see Rory miss here very often.”
Rory McIlroy on how Jack Nicklaus took his Memorial withdrawal
When McIlroy withdrew from the 2015 Memorial, he explained to reporters why he chose to send Nicklaus a letter instead of giving him a call.
He said: “The first thing he said to me was that he’d received my letter and I said to him that I wanted to write to you rather than phone or just advise the (PGA) Tour.
“So he seemed pretty taken aback to get my letter and that made me also feel good.
“I have played the Memorial every year since coming over here so he was happy and I told him I’m already looking forward to the event next year.”
No wonder Nicklaus appreciated how McIlroy handled things back then.
It makes it even stranger that the Northern Irishman did not give him any notice about skipping Muirfield Village in 2025.
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