Rory McIlroy declines invite to next PGA Tour event as LIV Golf dealt huge blow

Rory McIlroy is the only PGA Tour winner of last season to refuse an invite to compete in this week's Tournament of Champions at famed Kapalua in Hawaii.

McIlroy, who starts 2023 as the World No.1, last played in this tournament on the Plantation Course back in 2019. 

That marked his first and only time competing in this tournament. 

He finished tied fourth on 16-under par that week, seven strokes behind winner Xander Schauffele.

McIlroy had qualified for the Tournament of Champions this week as a result of winning the RBC Canadian Open in June. 

He also went on to win the Tour Championship to etch his name on the FedEx Cup for a record third time in August. 

McIlroy also bagged an early 2022-23 season win on the PGA Tour when successfully defending the CJ Cup in October. 

The tournament, as its name suggests, is invite-only for last season's winners on the PGA Tour. 

Under the new PGA Tour rules for 2023, members are allowed to opt out of one of the 13 'elevated events'.

So this week just happens to be the one McIlroy has chosen to bypass in 2023. 

When GolfMagic attended the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November, McIlroy made it clear he was intending to play in the Tournament of Champions to start 2023. 

But he has decided to spend a bit more time at home before starting his 2023 campaign.

McIlroy did not play his first event of 2022 until the Genesis Invitational in the middle of February.

While McIlroy's upcoming PGA Tour schedule still remains unclear, he will make his first appearance of 2023 on the DP World Tour at the Dubai Desert Classic at the end of January. 

McIlroy will bid to win that tournament for a third time having won there in 2009 and 2015. 

Despite McIlroy's no-show in Hawaii this week, the field is littered with star quality with the likes of Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in the lineup. 

With McIlroy on the couch, it means Scheffler can return to World No.1 with a big performance straight out the gate. 

Big blow for LIV Golf

The decision of Cantlay and Schauffele to compete in the tournament would likely mean both players have turned down the opportunity to join LIV Golf this season. 

Cantlay and Schauffele have also confirmed their participation in The American Express tournament in the third week of January. 

LIV Golf's Cameron Smith won the Tournament of Champions last season. 

As Smith is a LIV Golf player now, he is ineligible to compete and defend his title this week.

All players on LIV Golf remain suspended by the PGA Tour, and there would appear no return for them anytime soon. 

Take a look at the Tournament of Champions field below. 

Tournament of Champions 2023 - Full Field 

Ryan Brehm

J.T. Poston

Sam Burns

Seamus Power

Patrick Cantlay

Jon Rahm

Corey Conners

Chad Ramey

Tony Finau

Chez Reavie

Matt Fitzpatrick

Xander Schauffele

Brian Harman

Scottie Scheffler

Russell Henley

Adam Scott

Tom Hoge

J.J. Spaun

Max Homa

Jordan Spieth

Billy Horschel

Scott Stallings

Viktor Hovland

Sepp Straka

Mackenzie Hughes

Adam Svensson

Sungjae Im

Sahith Theegala

Tom Kim

Justin Thomas

K.H. Lee

Aaron Wise

Luke List

Cameron Young

Hideki Matsuyama

Will Zalatoris

Collin Morikawa