Rory McIlroy changed his competition schedule ahead of the PGA Championship to attend a formal state dinner at the White House hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump for Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla in early May 2026 [1, 2]. The dinner took place two days before the start of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
McIlroy had originally planned to play the PGA Tour Signature Event at Trump National Doral two weeks before the PGA Championship but chose to skip it to attend the dinner [1, 2]. He said, "To go down to Doral and then fly up to D.C. for that and then fly back down, it probably just wasn't—if I wasn't giving my 100% attention to the tournament, then there's no reason to play it, right" [1].
Instead, McIlroy used the week after missing the Doral event to practice and prepare. He then participated in the Signature Event at Quail Hollow, finishing tied for 19th place, 10 shots behind winner Kristoffer Reitan [1, 2].
Earlier in the year, McIlroy took a three-week break before the Masters and successfully defended his title, becoming the fourth repeat winner of that tournament [1, 2]. He has won six major championships in his career so far [1, 2].
Off the course, McIlroy had a cameo appearance alongside his wife in the film "The Devil Wears Prada 2" [1, 2]. Reflecting on his career, McIlroy said, "I know how fortunate I am and so lucky to be in this position in life, and sometimes you have to enjoy the perks because I know that this isn't going to last forever. There's going to be a day where I'm not sitting up here and I'm not competing for major championships and I'm not doing what I'm doing. So I guess while I'm doing it, I have to enjoy it, as well" [2].
The PGA Championship began two days after the White House dinner, marking the next major event on McIlroy's competitive schedule [1, 2].