There’s no denying that, in the modern era, there is more professional golf tournaments than ever before, with the upcoming months providing big event after big event.
As we head into the peak of the golf season, there has been the odd comment thrown about in regards to scheduling. Prior to the Memorial Tournament this week, Jack Nicklaus, who has hosted the event since 1976, stated that he doesn’t like the fact that the Memorial Tournament is the week before the US Open.
Now, on Saturday, four-time Major winner, Rory McIlroy, has agreed with the Golf Hall of Famer’s comments, with McIlroy claiming that “this tournament (Memorial) should stand alone”.
Speaking to the media following a one-over-par third round, the 35-year-old stated: “For me, personally, I love to play the week before Majors. I think it really helps me. Jack (Nicklaus) didn’t like to play the weeks before Majors, so I can certainly understand where he’s coming from. I think, regardless, you’re going to get a great field, you’re going to get the same field that you would get two weeks before, a week before, and I think it’s just personal preference.”
One thing that McIlroy didn’t agree on, though, is the run of big events that include Majors and the recently introduced Signature Events. There are eight of these tournaments and they were introduced by the PGA Tour to feature smaller fields, increased prize purses and more FedEx Cup points.
“I think this stretch of golf where it goes Signature Event, Major championship, Signature Event, I think that needs to maybe change because I feel like this tournament should stand alone in a way”, stated McIlroy, who claimed the sixth Signature Event at the Wells Fargo Championship.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
He continued: “Even the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, the week after Augusta, that’s, I think those are tough dates for Travelers and Hilton Head. But, yeah, I mean, I always, I go back to that, whenever, say, 10 years ago, my two favorite weeks of the year were Akron and the PGA. That was always – Akron always felt like a tune-up before the final Major of the year, and I always liked those two events back-to-back.
“But this is more than a tune-up for the US Open, you know. Like, this is a huge tournament with the host being arguably the greatest player ever to play the game, so I think it needs to stand on its own a little bit.”
