Masters champion and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy will not be in the field for the PGA Tour’s signature Memorial Tournament this week.
McIlroy previously committed to next week’s RBC Canadian Open leading into the U.S. Open at Oakmont. It will be the first time since 2017 that McIlroy will not play Jack Nicklaus’ event at Muirfield Village, which will include 18 of the world’s top 20 players, among them world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who skipped the signature Truist Championship the week before winning the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. The tour’s final signature event of the season will be the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, the week after the U.S. Open.
While electing to skip Memorial, McIlroy added a trip to India to his fall itinerary, committing to the inaugural DP World India Championship in October. It will mark the first time McIlroy competes in that nation. READ MORE
Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images
Twenty-seven golfers, including past U.S. Open champions Lucas Glover (2009) and Justin Rose (2013), earned exemptions into the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont by virtue of their standing in the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 19.
At No. 11, Maverick McNealy was the highest-ranked player in the OWGR who was not previously exempt into the U.S. Open. Davis Riley climbed 47 spots to No. 53 by tying for second in the PGA Championship to punch his ticket to Oakmont.
In addition, Joaquin Niemann earned a U.S. Open berth as the top player not otherwise exempt and in the top three of the 2025 LIV Golf League individual standings. READ MORE
The U.S. Open field will not include Sergio García for the first time in a quarter century. With a bogey on the 36th hole of final qualifying at Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas last Monday, the 45-year-old Spaniard fell one stroke short of a playoff for the last of seven available spots. Barring a special exemption, García’s streak of 25 consecutive U.S. Open appearances will end.
García’s 65-71 performance at Bent Tree came on the heels of a desultory T67 finish at the PGA Championship, where the LIV Golf competitor voiced a need for improvement to merit one of Luke Donald’s captain’s picks for September’s Ryder Cup match at Bethpage Black.
“Obviously the way I’m playing, even if Luke [Donald] offered me a pick right now, I would tell him no,” Garcia said after the final round at Quail Hollow. “So obviously I need to get better. I need to get more where I was just before the Masters. You know, just show myself and show everyone that my game is solid, and it can help Team Europe. It’s as simple as that.” READ MORE
TGL will add a seventh team that will represent Detroit for the 2027 season, the tech-infused indoor golf league announced Tuesday.
Motor City Golf Club will be co-owned by Steve Hamp and Sheila Ford Hamp, who is the principal owner and chairwoman of the NFL’s Detroit Lions. Michael Hamp, Peter Hamp and Kevin Kelleher, the principals of Middle West Partners, will lead the franchise. Denver Broncos owner Rob Walton and attorney Jordan Rose are also part of the ownership group. READ MORE
Tap-Ins
With his victory in the Asian Tour’s Kolon Korea Open on Sunday, Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana qualified for the Open Championship at Royal Portrush. READ MORE
The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, will host the Senior PGA Championship for three consecutive years beginning in 2026, the PGA of America announced. READ MORE
The Japan Golf Tour will hold first-stage and second-stage qualifiers in the United States for the first time in June and July, respectively. The tournaments will be staged at Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont, California. READ MORE
The PGA Tour’s Live Drone AR was awarded the George Wensel Technical Achievement Award Tuesday at the 46th annual Sports Emmy Awards. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity