Rory McIlroy apologizes to Jack Nicklaus for planned absence at Memorial with letter

May 9, 2015; Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, USA; Rory McIlroy reacts after hitting a shot from the 16th fairway during the third round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass - Stadium Course. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
May 9, 2015; Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, USA; Rory McIlroy reacts after hitting a shot from the 16th fairway during the third round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass - Stadium Course. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rory McIlroy wrote a letter to Jack Nicklaus to apologize for missing his tournament in early June.

The world’s number one golfer, Rory McIlroy, has a pretty hectic schedule. He had to make some tough decisions and elected not to compete in the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial tournament in early June.

McIlroy wanted to personally apologize to Nicklaus for missing the tournament and apologized in pretty tremendous fashion, with a letter.

“The first thing he (Nicklaus) said to me was that he’d received my letter and I said to him I wanted to write rather than phone or just advise the tour. He seemed pretty taken back to get my letter and that made me feel good,” McIlroy told Reuters.

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is known to write letters to select retiring NFL players, and has always been praised for this. The written word adds a more personal touch than a phone call, or a text message, or e-mail, as we have so many ways to communicate in the modern world. Written letters also provide a keepsake and show that you took time out to sit down, compose your thoughts and write the letter.

McIlroy hasn’t always gotten the best press for how he’s handled things, notably that be broke up with Carolina Wozniacki over the phone. This seems to be a considerable upgrade from that, albeit a less significant situation.

If you want to harp on anything, it might be the slightly egotistical comment that a legend like Nicklaus was “taken back” with a letter from a relatively young golfer. Of course he could be taken back that a young golfer wrote a letter and handled it that way.

Considering the legend that is Nicklaus, it is a classy gesture from McIlroy.

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