The PGA Tour returns for 2024 later this week at the season-opening Sentry Tournament, but the event will go ahead without one of the Tour’s biggest names in Rory McIlroy.
Rory McIlroy has decided not to participate in the upcoming PGA Tour event, the Sentry Tournament in Kapalua, Hawaii.
This tournament, previously known as The Sentry Tournament of Champions, is one of the eight designated events on the PGA Tour. It features a reduced field of players competing for a prize pot of £15.9 million ($20m) in the first week of the new season.
Out of the 60 players who qualified for the season opener in Hawaii, only 59 have chosen to attend. McIlroy, a 24-time PGA Tour winner and currently ranked as the world No. 2, is the only eligible star who has decided to sit out this tournament.
This is not the first time McIlroy has opted not to begin his campaign in the United States. He has once again focused his attention on the DP World Tour’s opening swing and will kick off his year in the Middle East next week by participating in the Dubai Invitational.
He will then participate in consecutive tournaments on the Wentworth-based circuit, and he has also committed to the Dubai Desert Classic a week later, a tournament he has won three times in the past. Many people will not be surprised by McIlroy’s absence from The Sentry, as he has not entered the event since 2019.
In August of last year, after the PGA Tour finalized its schedule for 2024, the Northern Irishman made it clear that he had no intention of going to Hawaii. “I think my schedule will be pretty much the same as this year,” said the former world No. 1.
“I’m not really a fan of Hawaii, so I probably won’t go there.” Another player who will not be present at the Kapalua Plantation Course is the defending champion Jon Rahm, whose PGA Tour membership was suspended last month after joining LIV Golf.
Rahm has established himself as a specialist on the Hawaiian course in recent years, finishing second in 2022 and then winning the tournament the following year. However, he will not have the opportunity to defend his title this time around due to his switch to Saudi Arabia.
The latest addition to the list of big names giving up their playing rights in exchange for a LIV spot is the Masters champion. Alongside Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson, he has decided to take this route. Despite being banned, Rahm remains hopeful that a framework agreement will be reached, allowing him to play in all three tours – LIV Golf, the PGA Tour, and DP World Tour.
Last month, he expressed his desire to maintain his status in both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. He emphasized that he will not give that up and hopes that the freedom provided by LIV will enable him to participate in both tours. Rahm also mentioned specific PGA Tour events that he wants to play, as long as his schedule permits. Ultimately, he wants to make it happen if possible.
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