Rory McIlroy coolly ignores Donald Trump after winning the Masters
Rory McIlroy has decided to skip another golf tournament, even after a message from Donald Trump following his big win at The Masters. Earlier this year at Augusta National, McIlroy made history by winning The Masters two years in a row, a rare achievement only a few players like Tiger Woods have done.
The Northern Irish golfer stayed calm under pressure from tough competitors like Cameron Young, Justin Rose, and Scottie Scheffler, proving why he’s one of the best players of all time. Since then, McIlroy has taken some time off to relax and hasn’t played in several tournaments after The Masters.
Now, it’s been confirmed he won’t be playing in the Cadillac Championship, which is a bit surprising since Trump specifically mentioned this event after McIlroy’s win. The Cadillac Championship is set to start on April 30 at Trump National Doral, one of the golf courses owned by the former US president.
Many thought McIlroy would come back for this big event, especially because Trump congratulated him and said he was excited to watch him compete there. Trump’s message said, “Congratulations to Rory McIlroy on another Great Championship, The Masters! He played amazingly under pressure and is becoming a LEGEND! I look forward to seeing him compete at Doral in two weeks.”
But McIlroy won’t be back until May. He’s focusing on getting ready for the next big tournament, the PGA Championship, which starts on May 14. He’ll probably return at the Truist Championship from May 7–10 at Quail Hollow, a course where he’s won four times before.
Besides being a fan of McIlroy, Trump has had the chance to play golf with him a few times. Talking about this in February 2025, McIlroy said, “I played golf with him a few weeks ago. It was great, really good. We had a nice chat. I learned he’s not a fan of the LIV format. I was surprised since he hosted their events, but he said just because of that doesn’t mean he likes it. I think he supports the PGA Tour.”
Even though they’ve played together, McIlroy made it clear back in 2017 that this doesn’t mean he supports Trump’s politics. He shared on social media, “I don’t agree with everything my friends or family say or do, but I still play golf with them. Last week, I played golf with the president of the United States. Whether you respect the person or not, you respect the office he holds.”
He added that playing golf with Trump was “not an endorsement or political statement.” “It was just a round of golf,” he explained.