Rory McIlroy is making just his eighth start of the PGA Tour season at this week’s Memorial Tournament, which he has never won in his career.
It is somewhat of a rare outing for the Northern Irishman, who last appeared on the course at last month’s PGA Championship.
McIlroy has indeed enjoyed great success from his limited campaign, claiming one win at Augusta as he clinched the green jacket at The Masters for the second year running.
He has certainly made no secret about his reduced schedule in recent years, with McIlroy having just doubled down on that stance ahead of his opening round at the Memorial.
And while it is an approach that may hurt the PGA Tour and earn the player criticism, he certainly doesn’t deserve to come under fire for his actions.
Who are you backing to win the Memorial Tournament?
Scottie and Rory headline the field at Muirfield Village…
Rory McIlroy doesn’t deserve criticism for skipping PGA Tour events
Of course, fans want to see the top players in action as much as possible, constantly going head-to-head at challenging courses.
A 30-time champion and current world number two, McIlroy is clearly one of those players, but the 37-year-old has already done more than enough for the PGA Tour throughout his phenomenal career.
Moreover, he has remained truly loyal during a period of many defections to LIV Golf, as well as speaking up in defence of the PGA Tour.
So while it is certainly a shame to see the six-time major winner not take to the course as much as he once did, it’s a perfectly understandable decision.
He’s dedicated his career to the Tour, but is now finding a nice balance in his life, which incidentally hasn’t prevented him from claiming huge success.
When McIlroy does play, he is always box-office, and fans rightfully turn out in huge numbers to see him in action.
How many majors does Rory McIlroy finish his career with?
He's currently on six…
What did Rory McIlroy say of his schedule at the Memorial?
McIlroy will now be fully focused on matters on the course, with Muirfield Village his latest test on the PGA Tour.
But before his first-round pairing with Justin Thomas, he did share insight into his plans in the potential new-look PGA Tour schedule, which could involve a two-track system.
“Yeah, I think with the Track 1 events expanded to 120 players, I mean, I think I would back myself to finish in that top 100 or whatever it is if I play a limited schedule,” said McIlroy.
“So no, I’m going to… you know, I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve been on Tour longer… more than half of my life at this point.
“So I’ll pick and choose my spots like I have been doing sort of the last 18 months to two years.
“Yeah, does it mean it makes it harder for myself to win the FedExCup or whatever the season-long title race is going to be called? Absolutely.
“But I’m okay with that because it brings balance to my life and lets me enjoy things outside of the game.”
It’s now up to the Northern Irishman to back up his comments by performing on the course, but there will be little doubt about that given his track record.
He’s made the cut from all seven of his starts this season, from which he has produced one win, one runner-up finish, two top 5s, three top 10s and five top 25s, having been forced into a withdrawal halfway through the Arnold Palmer Invitational due to injury.
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