Rory McIlroy skipping The Memorial: Jack Nicklaus says Masters champion did not tell him he was not playing

Nicklaus admitted that McIlroy's actions surprised him

If you're surprised by Rory McIlroy's decision not to play in this week's Memorial Tournament, you're not the only one. In fact, McIlroy's decision also came as a surprise to Jack Nicklaus, the 18-time major winner and the founder and host of the tournament. 

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Nicklaus dropped somewhat of a bombshell when he was asked about McIlroy's decision not to play in the tournament, the third PGA signature event McIlroy has opted not to play in this year. This marks the first time that McIlroy hasn't made the annual trip to Dublin, Ohio since 2017. 

"It surprised me, but you know, guys have got schedules and got things they do," Nicklaus said of McIlroy's decision. "I haven't talked to him for him to tell me why or why not. It'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 popular. Sometimes you have to make those calls. 

"I don't hold anything against Rory for that. He did what he likes [to do]. I know he likes to play so many in a row. He likes to play the week before a U.S. Open. That's what he's doing. I really don't have a comment on it. It's very difficult, very difficult. I'm a big Rory fan, always have been, and I'm sure that I'll remain that way." 

While deciding to not play in a tournament is not unusual, it is surprising that McIlroy didn't at least call Nicklaus to inform him of his plans. Nicklaus, after all, is one of golf's great legends and ambassadors. Adding to the oddity of the situation is the fact that McIlroy sought (and received) Nicklaus' counsel ahead of April's Masters, which Rory won in dramatic fashion to earn his elusive career grand slam. 

While the two apparently have a good relationship, Nicklaus (as is the case with just about everyone) has always been honest whenever he has been asked about McIlroy's game. This recently happened when Nicklaus was asked if his game was more similar to McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler. 

"Scottie," Nicklaus said without hesitation. "Rory, the ball gets away from Rory right to left. Always has during his career, and he hasn't corrected it. He still has had a great career with it. Could he have had a better career if he had gone the other way? I don't know." 

McIlroy's actions this week come on the heels of his curious decision not to speak to reporters for the entirety of the PGA Championship, where he finished in a tie for 47th place. In that vein, Nicklaus was asked if he feels that it's a star player's responsibility to be available to the media. 

"I'm not going to talk for Rory or for anybody else, I'll talk for myself," Nicklaus said. "I've always felt that you guys and gals have a job to do. For you to do your job, you need to talk to me. Whether I played well or I played poorly, if you still wanna talk to me, I'll talk to you. And I always have." 

While it won't have the world's No. 2 ranked player, The Memorial will still have a star-studded field, led by Scheffler, the defending champion who recently picked up his third career major after winning the PGA Championship earlier this month. 

"To have Scottie here as your defending champion, he's been fantastic," Nicklaus said of Scheffler. "He's been the star of the tour. I just talked to him in the locker room just a minute ago. Delighted to have him back here to compete."