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Golf LIVE: Ex-champion pulls out of PGA Championship as Rory McIlroy blasts PGA Tour

Published

3 weeks ago

May 13, 2025

Express Sport brings you the latest golf news ahead of the PGA Championship.

We are just three days away from the PGA Championship, and once again, the build-up is being dominated by Rory McIlroy. One month on from his emotional win at the Masters, the Northern Irishman is one of the favourites to win at Quail Hollow as he targets a sixth major title.

That’s despite only finishing tied for seventh at the Truist Championship on the weekend. Instead, it was McIlroy’s Ryder Cup teammate who took the trophy, finishing 16 under par after Shane Lowry failed to deliver on the final day.

Lowry teed off on Sunday level with Straka, but could only shoot a level-par 70 as he missed out by two strokes. There was no Scottie Scheffler in Philadelphia, though, with the world No.1 set to fight it out with McIlroy in Charlotte this week.

Another former champion withdraws

Following the withdrawals of former winners John Daly and Vijay Singh, 2002 champion Rich Beem is also out of the tournament at Quail Hollow.

Beem, who will instead work for Sky Sports, said: “I missed Oak Hill in 2023 because I knew that I couldn’t handle it, and I only played Valhalla last year because my family asked me to. My wife and kids wanted me to go there.

“I learned my lesson and got very humbled, finishing dead last after 36 holes. As a professional golfer, even though I’m a professional commentator now, that sucked. I toyed with the idea of playing this year, but I knew months ago that I wasn’t going to be ready for it.”