Rory McIlroy criticized again for decision he has made after Jack Nicklaus helped him win The Masters, ‘it’s not a great look’

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Rory McIlroy is under scrutiny again for his latest decision involving 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus.

McIlroy and Nicklaus have a good relationship and even met up to discuss strategy at Augusta National before The Masters last month.

The Northern Irishman finally won the Green Jacket and completed the career Grand Slam, and Nicklaus was one of many golf legends to congratulate him afterwards.

Next up on the PGA Tour is the Memorial Tournament, hosted by Nicklaus, where the pair were set to see each other again.

However, McIlroy’s controversial decision before the event has now been criticized by golf expert Ryan Lavner.

• READ MORE: Jack Nicklaus shares what he wrote in a note to Rory McIlroy after his dramatic win at The Masters in April

Rory McIlroy criticized for not ‘returning the favor’ to Jack Nicklaus

PGA Tour players are expected to compete in all eight Signature Events (The Sentry, Pebble Beach Pro-Am, The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Truist Championship, The Memorial Tournament, Travelers Championship).

McIlroy skipped the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town, but seemingly nobody minded because it was only one week after his arduous Masters victory.

His latest withdrawal from the Memorial Tournament is a different story. He didn’t play in last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, and Nicklaus of all people deserves his support.

“I still think in some sense, Rory is still a special case,” Lavner explained. “He has never been afraid to skip Signature Events or elevated events, as they were called a couple of years ago.

“I remember he did it a couple of years ago at Harbour Town when it was ‘mandatory’ and he ended up losing $2 million from the Player Impact Programme. He even skipped the Heritage earlier this year, a Signature Event on the PGA Tour.

“When you look at the schedule for Rory McIlroy, that would have been four tournaments in a row. Canadian Open, US Open, I believe he is also set to be playing the Travelers Championship, the final signature event on the PGA Tour schedule.

“He has never won at Jack’s place; he only has two top 10s there since 2016. But I will say that it is sort of a bad look. If you go back to The Masters during the press conference with Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Gary Player, they talked about how, a couple of weeks prior to The Masters, Rory McIlroy and Jack Nicklaus sat down and went shot by shot for how Rory McIlroy should play Augusta National.

“He ends up winning The Masters and then does not return the favor a couple of months later as the reigning Masters champion playing the tournament. It’s not a great look. Barbara Nicklaus is also being honoured.

“But, I don’t think this is even necessarily a Rory issue, because Scottie Scheffler also missed the Truist Championship. If $20 million purses, best golf courses, best fields, and a really good spot in the calendar for a final tune-up for a major championship, because you are getting a week’s break afterwards, if you can’t get all the stars to commit, when can you?”

Rory McIlroy’s likely schedule for remainder of 2025 PGA Tour season

McIlroy has previously expressed his desire to win national open tournaments around the world. That’s why he has committed to the Canadian Open next week and the Australian Open in December.

He will definitely be at Oakmont Country Club next month in a bid for his sixth major championship victory. One would also expect him to play in the final Signature Event of the 2025 PGA Tour season, the Travelers Championship.

In preparation for the season’s final major, the Open Championship, McIlroy will participate in the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.

The 35-year-old would then have two weeks before the three-part FedEx Cup Playoffs, which he has won a record three times before.