Rory McIlroy to Scottie Scheffler: Some big names are missing on the 2023 Sony Open field

From Rory McIlroy to Scottie Scheffler, there are some big names missing from the second event of the 2023 PGA Tour. The Sony Open is set to take place this weekend, on January 12.

The field will consist of 144 players who qualified based on their PGA Tour points. The championship also invites three rising stars alongside the qualifier.

The field will be greatly graced by fan favorite Jordan Spieth, defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, and rising star Tom Kim. However, several big names, including Jon Rahm, Xander Schaufele, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, and current World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, are missing from the list.

Seventeen of the world's top 20 golfers recently competed at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. The tournament successfully concluded on January 8, when Jon Rahm registered his victory.

Noticeably, Rory McIlroy missed the Tournament of Champions as well. It was the first elevated tournament of the year, but he withdrew his name at the very last moment.

However, it did not surprise the fans, as earlier in October, while speaking at the CJ Cup, Rory confessed that he was on the fence about playing in Hawaii. The World No. 1 has only played once at the TOC and finished fourth in 2019. He is slated to start his calendar year 2023 with the DP Tour, which takes place later this month.

Rory McIlroy focuses on The Masters Tournament

McIlroy missing the first PGA Tour-elevated event of the year didn't go over well among golf enthusiasts. Fans were perplexed as to why the strongest supporter of the PGA Tour event missed the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

This year, the purse of the championship was also increased to $15 million to compete with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series.

Since LIV Golf came into play, the PGA Tour has made numerous changes to their tournament and increased the purses of their events to lure their golfers and secure their loyalty to the tour.

Despite their countless efforts, players, including Xander Schauffele, are rumored to be joining LIV Golf this year.

Fortunately, LIV golfers will also be allowed to compete in the upcoming Masters. Fans claimed that Rory McIlroy is also focused on The Masters Tournament, which is scheduled to take place in April 2023.

It is important to note that Scottie Scheffler is the defending Masters champion and will also be playing at the Augusta National Golf Course. He has, however, played in the Sentry Tournament of Champions that concluded last Sunday.

Jon Rahm won the tournament this year. However, neither Jon Rahm nor Scheffler are playing at the Sony Open.

2023 Sony Open Field

About the author

Ankita Yadav is an NFL and Golf writer at Sportskeeda with over three years of experience in journalism (and counting). She’s previously covered the world of entertainment with OtakuKart and TV Season & Spoilers and worked as an editor at ComingSoon. Her stories have racked up nearly nine million reads, and she’s had the chance to interview top athletes like professional golfer Yuvraj Singh Sandhu.

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