Thursday 4 June 2015 19:07, UK
Jack Nicklaus has backed Rory McIlroy's decision to miss this week's Memorial Tournament and predicted the world No 1 will not do so too often in the future.
McIlroy has featured every year at Muirfield since making his debut in 2010, but sits out of this week's event having played five tournaments in succession.
With 18-time major champion Nicklaus founding and hosting the event, most of the world's top players usually make the trip to Ohio, with Masters champion Jordan Spieth and Players Championship winner Rickie Fowler two of the headline names in action.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickeslon are also in the field but Nicklaus has no issues with McIlroy, who missed the cut for the second tournament running at the Irish Open, sticking to his schedule.
"Most of the guys who aren't here this week have come to me and said 'Jack I've got this problem',' Nicklaus said. "I said, 'Hey wait a minute, don't worry about us, you've got to do what's right for you'.
"I ended up having to make those choices at times, what was right for me. I respect what the guys have to do and how they are pulled from so many directions, and for the most part the guys have been here."
The world No 1 had said he felt "refreshed" after his early exit from the BMW PGA Championship, but crashed out of his home event in similar fashion a week later.
McIlroy won't feature now until the US Open later this month and wrote to Nicklaus to explain his decision, only to bump into the man himself at the Bears Club near his home in Florida.
"He came to me and talked to me and said he was in a pickle," Nicklaus added. "I said 'Rory, don't worry about it. You and I are very close, we have no issues. If you have stuff you gotta do in Ireland, you got to do what's right for you. You gotta get yourself ready for the US Open.'
Woods is seeking his sixth win at Muirfield Village and comes into the event having spent two days practising at Chambers Bay, venue for the US Open in a fortnight's time.
The 39-year-old has not played since finishing 69th in the Players Championship on May 10, which was just his fourth tournament of 2015 following a month off to work on his game after a career-worst 82 in the Phoenix Open and an injury-withdrawal from the Farmers Insurance Open.
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