Rory McIlroy makes personal announcement ahead of Memorial Tournament return

Rory McIlroy has revealed that he, wife Erica and their daughter Poppy have now settled into their new home at Wentworth Estate in England as he prepares for this week's Memorial Tournament.

The world number two arrives at Muirfield Village looking to win Jack Nicklaus' prestigious event for the first time in his career. 

The Memorial Tournament marks the penultimate Signature Event of the 2026 PGA Tour season. 

Nicklaus' event this year holds a huge $20m prize purse, with $4m going to the winner. 

Speaking ahead of Thursday's opening round, McIlroy explained he has enjoyed a brief spell away from competition as he continues to structure his schedule around family life and preparing best for the major championships.

The 30-time PGA Tour winner joked he feels like a "part-timer" after taking couple of weeks away from tournament golf, something he has done a lot more this season. 

"Yeah, I feel a bit like a part-timer these days, but yeah, no, I had a couple weeks off," said McIlroy, who finished tied seventh at last month's PGA Championship at Aronimink.

"We got ourselves settled into our house in London for the summer, so it was nice to be over there for sort of like the last 10 days."

Rory's new family home

McIlroy's move to Wentworth will also place him at the heart of one of the biggest events on the European golf calendar. 

The 37-year-old Northern Irishman has already confirmed his return for the BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour's flagship tournament, which takes place at Wentworth from 17-20 September.

McIlroy won the BMW PGA back in 2014. 

The BMW PGA is once again set to feature a strong Ryder Cup flavour, with members of Luke Donald's victorious European team set to compete. 

Earlier this week, Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Åberg and Sepp Straka added their names to the stellar lineup in Virginia Water, Surrey. 

Rory scouts Shinnecock

McIlroy also told reporters on Wednesday that he used his latest break to begin preparations for the upcoming U.S. Open, making an early scouting trip to Shinnecock Hills, which hosts the championship in two weeks' time.

"Then yeah a little bit of practice. Stopped off at Shinnecock on the way to here on Monday. Scouted it a little bit and played.

"So, yeah, excited I'm for a good tournament here. I missed this one last year. It's good to be back. So the course is as hard as ever, so looking forward to the challenge this week."

The grand slam champion is seeking a second U.S. Open title having won the first of his six career major titles at Congressional in 2011. 

A first win at Memorial? 

While McIlroy remains one of the most powerful drivers of the golf ball in the game, he claimed Muirfield Village has often neutralised one of his greatest strengths.

The Northern Irishman has previously struggled to unlock his best form at the venue, largely because the layout forces him to take driver out of his hands more frequently than he would like.

"I pride myself on that being one of my biggest weapons," said McIlroy, who despite winning 30 times on the PGA Tour has never won the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village. 

"The fairways pinch in right around the spots where I would be finishing driver.

"So it's frustrated me in a way that I feel like my biggest weapon is in some way neutralized here.

"And then I have to play the golf course like most of the other guys in the field."

Despite those frustrations, McIlroy returns to the Memorial Tournament refreshed and with family life settled for the summer, as he looks to add another significant PGA Tour title to his decorated career.