Rory McIlroy sparks concern among fellow players by skipping the first leg of PGA Tour playoffs
The five-time major winner is skipping this week's FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis at TPC Southwind, where he will be the only eligible player not participating in a tournament named for its top sponsor.
Asked about the world's No. 2 opting out of one of the playoffs' three legs, rival golfer and PGA Tour Policy Board player director Peter Malnati told Golf Week he was 'very concerned.'
Unfortunately for Malnati, there's not much the tour can do to stop McIlroy from skipping a third event this season. With 3,444 points in the FedEx Cup standings, second only to Scottie Scheffler, McIlroy has a comfortable 849-point cushion over third-place Sepp Straka.
And since the current FedEx Cup format features a progressive cut, McIlroy can count on advancing to next week's BMW Championship in Owings Mills, Maryland. From there, provided he remains in the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings, McIlroy would advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
McIlroy actually played in the St. Jude Championship last year, finishing at the bottom of the filed without much of a penalty.
'I mean, I finished basically dead last there this year, and only moved down one spot in the playoff standings,' he told reporters in 2024.
McIlroy has already earned $10 million this year thanks to a Masters win and other successes. But the loophole that allowed him to skate by to the second leg of the postseason could be up for review.
'I think there is stuff in the works and I'll leave it at that,' Malnati told Golfweek.
Tour Policy Board member Webb Simpson didn't so quite so optimistic.
'I think it's too hard of a thing to make guys have to play,' Simpson told Golfweek. 'We're still a sport where you can play when you want to play.'
The FedEx St. Jude Championship starts Thursday with $20 million in prize money at stake.
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