Rory McIlroy has decided to skip the Cadillac Championship, a PGA Tour Signature Event held at Donald Trump's Miami course, forgoing the chance to earn £2.7 million and snubbing the US president's wishes.
Earlier this month, McIlroy made history by becoming only the fourth golfer to win back-to-back Masters titles. He retained his crown at Augusta National, securing a £3.3 million prize. Following his victory, the 36-year-old took a brief hiatus, bypassing the RBC Heritage and the Zurich Classic. The Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral is the next major event, with a £15 million purse and £2.7 million for the winner, but McIlroy will not compete.
President Trump had expressed hope of seeing McIlroy on the Blue Monster course, congratulating him on Truth Social after his Masters win: 'Congratulations to Rory McIlroy on another Great Championship, The Masters! He performed tremendously under intense pressure. With each year, Rory is becoming more and more a LEGEND! I look forward to watching him compete in two weeks at Doral.'
However, McIlroy's absence means Trump will not witness him at Doral, one of 16 golf venues owned by the president. This is the second Signature Event McIlroy has missed in quick succession; he also skipped the RBC Heritage. The PGA Tour previously fined players for missing such events, but McIlroy will face no sanction.
McIlroy explained his scheduling choices to The Guardian, citing the need to pace himself and prioritise majors: 'You look at what Justin Rose has done. He is still competitive at 45 and I would like to think if I do the right things, pace myself and play the schedule that suits, not playing a ton of golf to stop me being burnt out every year, that I can get to that point as well.'
He added: 'I feel like I have done a really good job over the last five or six years of not living and dying by every shot or round. If I have 10 years left and I really want to prioritise the majors, then the other tournaments are great to play in, you want to win them. It is just that every time I play in a PGA Tour event I have one eye on what I need to do for the next few weeks, leading into majors.'
