For the last two seasons, Rory McIlroy has ghosted Tiger Woods’s Hero World Challenge. Both times rumors swirled that things might not be too well between them. Yet, each time, it was simply different obligations. This year, the Northern Irishman has again skipped the 20-man field. But before the rumors fly again, here’s the bona fide reason behind his absence.

Following his Masters win, McIlroy committed to the Australian Open, set at Royal Melbourne GC. The event is scheduled to be held in the same week (December 4 – 7) as the Hero World Challenge. And that is your reason for McIlroy’s absence from the field that will host 11 of the top 20 players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), including three sponsor exemptions.

This was a long time coming. Back in May, Rory McIlroy said in a statement, “I’m proud to be committing to the Australian Open for the next two years, especially with it being played on the world-class Melbourne Sandbelt, somewhere I’ve always wanted to play professionally.” And some more, as you can watch in this video below:

The last time he played at the Australian Open was back in 2014, defending the Stonehaven Cup after his dramatic 2013 win over former Masters champ, Adam Scott. Regardless, this time, McIlroy will headline the event in Melbourne with a slightly different perspective. In his words, “The success of the Australian Open is important for the global game.” But does that mean things are okay between Woods and him?

Well, yes. Different commitments aside, McIlroy has often dismissed any rift between the two, despite their differing views. Take, for example, their thoughts on the PGA Tour and LIV. Back in 2024, despite rumors, McIlroy stated, “Friends can have disagreements or not see eye to eye on things,” and that even if they view the “future of the golf” differently, “I don’t think that should place any strain on a relationship or on a friendship.”

Rightfully so.

On the other hand, when McIlroy descends upon Australia the next week, he will have plenty of competition on his hands.

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Abraham Ancer takes a bid on the Australian Open, and so do more pros

Yes, by now, it’s undeniable that Rory McIlroy loves the Australian Open. More so, the Royal Melbourne GC. But the same case applies to the other pros who will hope to make a bid against McIlroy next week. One of them is Abraham Ancer, the 2018 Australian Open champion. Yes, the event was then held at The Lakes in Sydney, where Ancer won by five shots. But this time, the LIV pro is hoping to pull that off at McIlroy’s favorite spot.

“I’ve played at Royal Melbourne before for the Presidents Cup (in 2019), and it’s one of my favorite golf courses in the world. It’s going to be a great experience to be back there … I love playing in Australia,” said Ancer ahead of the 2025 BMW Australian PGA Championship.

Similarly, PGA Tour pro Min Woo Lee showed his confidence in Cam Smith. At the Australian PGA Championship, he said of Smith, “He didn’t have his best stuff, but next week he’s going to come out good. I think it’s just a bit of fire in his belly over this weekend. I’m sure he’s going to head down [to Melbourne] and grind and then show something next week.”

Well, Smith fired back something similar for Lee. He first agreed that someone as “good as he [Lee] is” can pull off anything. Plus, “It’s just putting four good swings and two putts together in a row, and sometimes it’s really hard to do that, but that’s how it turns around, and I’ve no doubt he can.”

So, that’s another threat to McIlroy.