Rory McIlroy Opts Out of St. Jude Championship
This season looks to be quite the whirlwind for Rory McIlroy. Yet, this week, he managed to lighten his load a bit.
McIlroy decided to forgo the St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis. Peter Marnaty, the player director of the PGA Tour Policy Board, expressed concern regarding McIlroy’s choice.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship is the first stage of the playoffs. Following it, the BMW Championship kicks off the second leg, leading to the Tour Championship in Atlanta later this month, which wraps up the postseason.
Interestingly, McIlroy’s absence has led PGA Tour officials to consider potential rule changes that may lock certain players into the latter playoff stages.
McIlroy and the playoffs’ top seed, Scottie Scheffler, have both earned a significant number of points this season, keeping them well within the top 50 and top 30 thresholds. The Tour Championships will feature the top 30 players vying for the FedEx Cup Trophy.
Marnati hinted that changes to the rules might soon be considered. “I think there’s something about the work, and I’ll leave it as is,” he mentioned in a discussion.
On the other hand, Jordan Spieth doesn’t think McIlroy’s decision will start a trend among players. Having previously served as PGA Tour Policy Player Director, he remarked, “We might have one or two people do that for the event, but I don’t think that’s going to happen because it’s a big event for the best players in the world. They’re trying to figure out how to make sure you don’t skip both of them and ideally either.”
McIlroy’s choice to skip the St. Jude Championship wasn’t entirely surprising, as he had hinted at this possibility earlier.
In a previous interview, McIlroy shared he wasn’t playing in his usual number of tournaments this year, suggesting he might not participate next year. “I played a few tournaments, but I probably won’t be in Memphis for my first playoff event this year,” he stated, reflecting on his performance in earlier events.
Despite missing the first playoff event, McIlroy is expected to participate in the upcoming playoff event in Baltimore and the final at Atlanta later this month. Additionally, he will be a significant figure for Europe at this year’s Ryder Cup in Bethpage Black, New York.
