The PGA Tour is in Ohio this week at Muirfield Village, home of The Memorial Tournament. It is a very special week on Tour seeing as this is the event hosted by arguably the game’s greatest, Jack Nicklaus.
On Tuesday, he spent a great deal of time speaking to the media during his pre-tournament press conference. Nicklaus revealed the hardest tournament he ever won and his epic hole out while playing with President Ford, among other things. But the 18-time major champion has never been one to hold back his feelings, and that was on full display again.
One of the questions Nicklaus answered pertained to the recent controversy regarding PGA Tour players skipping media sessions after their round.
Of course, the question stemmed from Rory McIlroy’s decision not to speak after all four rounds at the PGA Championship.
“I’m not going to talk for Rory or anybody else, I’ll talk for myself,” Nicklaus said.
“I’ve always felt that you guys have a job to do — and gals — and for you to do your job you need to talk to me. And whether I played well or whether I played poorly, if you still want to talk to me, I’ll talk to you. And I always have.”
McIlroy entered Quail Hollow in search of his second straight major title after winning the Masters. The Northern Irishman had the best track record at that course of anyone in the field, leading many to pick him to win.
Instead, he barely made the cut and was never in contention. Maybe that is why he elected not to address the media. It could also be related to the fact that McIlroy’s driver was deemed “non-conforming” by the USGA. That forced the World No. 2 to switch heads right before the event.
But McIlroy is far from the only player who has skipped media sessions. Collin Morikawa, another top player on the PGA Tour, opted to skip out on the media after a heartbreaking loss at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
When he did address the public a few days later, Morikawa famously claimed “I do not owe anyone anything.”
That prompted backlash from players and fans alike.
Even though Nicklaus did not outright say that McIlroy, Morikawa, and others should speak to the media. He certainly feels like he was obligated, whether he won or not.
Chalk that up as just another reason people love Jack Nicklaus.
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