Rory McIlroy has made the surprise decision to skip next week’s inaugural $20 million Cadillac Championship, marking the second consecutive PGA Tour Signature Event the world number two has opted to miss.
The tournament, which returns the PGA Tour to Trump National Doral’s famed Blue Monster in Miami for the first time in a decade, will feature a star-studded field but will do so without the six-time major champion.
McIlroy’s absence follows his withdrawal from last week’s RBC Heritage at Harbour Town, although that decision was widely expected given his post-Masters schedule. The Northern Irishman had just secured a historic second consecutive Masters title, becoming only the fourth player ever to successfully defend the Green Jacket.
However, his omission from the Cadillac Championship from 30 April to 3 May has certainly raised some eyebrows. When the field was released on Friday evening, McIlroy’s name was notably absent, confirming he will sit out another elite PGA Tour event despite its high profile and lucrative purse. Not to mention staged on the famous Florida course owned by golf-avid U.S. President Donald Trump.
McIlroy, a 30-time PGA Tour winner, turns 37 years old on the Monday after the Cadillac.
The Blue Monster at the fearsome Trump National Doral returns to the PGA Tour calendar after a 10-year absence.
The venue previously hosted professional golf for more than five decades, first as the Doral Open from 1962 to 2006, and later as the WGC-Cadillac Championship from 2007 to 2016.
During that era, Tiger Woods dominated at the venue with four victories. McIlroy himself has a memorable if chaotic history there. As a 25-year-old in 2015, he famously threw a 3-iron into a lake after a frustrated approach shot during the second round.
Watch that unfortunate moment here:
Although McIlroy never won at Doral on the PGA Tour, McIlroy did claim the Doral Junior Publix World Under-10 title as a nine-year-old.
McIlroy has repeatedly stated that he intends to reduce his playing schedule moving forwards, in order to prioritise family life with his wife Erica and daughter Poppy, while also carefully managing his build-up to the season’s four majors.
With a successful title defence at The Masters already locked, many McIlroy fans would agree the process has worked so far.
Skipping two consecutive Signature Events is consistent with that strategy, even if it runs counter to expectations surrounding the PGA Tour’s strongest fields competing regularly in its premier events.
That was the whole point of the Signature Events being designed in the first place, in that the best of the best would play together more.
There are currently no penalties or fines for players missing Signature Events, at least to our knowledge.
It’s not just McIlroy of the big names on the PGA Tour who are missing out on the Cadillac Championship though.
McIlroy’s fellow European Ryder Cup teammates Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick and Robert MacIntyre are also sitting it out.
Despite McIlroy’s absence, the 72-man Cadillac Championship will feature a strong field headlined by world number one Scottie Scheffler, alongside multiple major champions and Ryder Cup stars.
The $20 million purse includes a $3.6 million winner’s payout.
Trump National Doral is one of 16-owned venues in the Trump Golf portfolio, and there are soon to be another five added.
PGA Tour confirms McIlroy not in the field
The full field will be finalised after the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Sunday, with additional qualification routes available via the Aon Next 10, Aon Swing 5, and OWGR rankings.
McIlroy’s next scheduled start is the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club from 14–17 May, meaning he could go five weeks without competitive action heading into the second men’s major of the year — a tournament he has already won twice.
