Rory McIlroy won’t be competing this week at Trump National Doral for the Cadillac Championship, but that didn’t stop President Donald Trump from giving him a shoutout right in the middle of a speech.
McIlroy and Erica, his wife, were in attendance Tuesday evening for the White House State Dinner for King Charles III of England, and the back-to-back Masters champion ended up getting praise from Trump. The president even told McIlroy to stand up as he talked him up. (RELATED: Several LIV Golfers Silently Preparing Next Steps In Careers: REPORT)
“That was unconquerable courage. That was very good, Rory,” said Trump. “Where is Rory McIlroy, can you stand up please? I don’t know if that helps them talk about how wonderful my speech is but I had to interrupt my speech because I watched that man win a tournament that was a tough, that was a tough one. Congratulations, very proud of you. Now I’ll get back to my speech, all right.”
WATCH:
President Trump praises Masters champion Rory McIlroy in toast at White House state dinner: “That was unconquerable courage. That was very good, Rory.” pic.twitter.com/kQGkcLp3Bl
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 29, 2026
Earlier in April, McIlroy won his second straight Masters, making him only the fourth golfer ever to get consecutive victories at Augusta National. The last to accomplish the feat was Tiger Woods, winning the tournament in 2001 and 2002.
After winning the green jacket, McIlroy hasn’t participated in the past three PGA Tour events, which includes the upcoming Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral, the first time since 2016 that the venue has hosted a Tour event.
A lot of people were under the assumption that McIlroy would be playing in the signature event. However, with another next week at Quail Hollow, and with the PGA Championship to follow the week after, McIlroy made the decision to not compete for three straight weeks.