Rory McIlroy may not have hit a shot in a competitive tournament since tapping in to confirm his second Masters victory, but he has certainly been in the headlines in recent days.
McIlroy is one of the top players who has decided to not tee it up at the Cadillac Championship at Doral in the coming days. The likes of Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele will also not be involved.
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It would be no surprise if McIlroy decided to return at the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow to help prepare for the PGA Championship.
However, it does mean that McIlroy will not have played in either of the previous two signature events leading into the final tournament before the second major of the year.
That is far from ideal for the PGA Tour as they look to elevate every event. But it does provide something of a wake-up call for Brian Rolapp.
Rory McIlroy snubbing Doral this week may help a number of PGA Tour players
McIlroy’s decision should definitely please some of the players who have not qualified for the signature events this year.
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When the 2026 schedule was announced, it was difficult to not be alarmed by this stage of the season.
Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
Between The Masters and the PGA Championship, there is not one full-field, 72-hole stroke play event.
Those looking to force their way into the signature events and the majors faced the real possibility of not playing in a standard tournament for several weeks.
Meanwhile, the top stars on the PGA Tour are being asked to ideally play at Augusta National, Harbour Town, Doral, Quail Hollow, and Aronimink in the space of six weeks.
This part of the PGA Tour schedule needs a significant overhaul from 2027
There may not initially be a lot of sympathy for those players who have every opportunity to retain their place inside the closed shop.
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But Rory McIlroy opting to not return to action at the Blue Monster this week may do those players down the food chain a real favour.
It shows to Rolapp – who would have had little say in the 2026 schedule – that staging five tournaments in six weeks that are signature events or majors and expecting all of the top names to play throughout is simply not achievable.
There definitely needs to be a better opportunity than the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for those on the outside looking in to make up ground.
McIlroy not playing this week may end up helping create that chance in this part of the season in the years to come.
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