The only real, tangible motivation for Rory McIlroy to tee it up at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first leg of the PGA Tour’s playoffs, is money.
McIlroy, who has made nearly $200 million for his career, doesn’t need money. With his playoff spot moving forward secured, he’ll skip the trip to Memphis and won’t play in the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
In fact, he’s the only player of the qualified 70-man field who won’t play the St. Jude. He’s also one of the most popular players in the world, one of the sport’s few needle-movers. Not having him in the field, for the playoff opener, is less than ideal.
Why Rory McIlroy Skipping Tour Playoff Spot Is Problem
Imagine if Patrick Mahomes just decided he wasn’t going to play the wild-card round?
It’s not a perfect comparison, but it exposes a major issue in the Tour’s playoff format. For someone like McIlroy, who has all the money in the world — and more importantly, the playoff points — skipping a tournament isn’t a major issue, even with $3.6 million up top. That’s especially true after McIlroy just banked a $10 million bonus before the postseason even begins. He’s also been dreadful at TPC Southwind.
Not to mention, the four most important tournaments on the men’s schedule undoubtedly are the majors, and all four of those have been completed.
It’s a pickle for the Tour, especially with McIlroy, who pretty clearly is done playing ball. However, it sounds like there could be changes coming to ensure players, you know, play in the playoffs.
Golfweek reported the Tour is considering once again changing the format to get players in tournament fields for the entire playoffs. PGA Tour Policy Board player director Peter Malnati told Golfweek he’s “very concerned” about players of McIlroy’s status skipping the playoffs.
“I think there is stuff in the works, and I’ll leave it at that,” he told Golfweek about potential changes.
Another policy board member, Webb Simpson, told Golfweek he didn’t have a problem with McIlroy skipping a playoff tournament. He recalled withdrawing from a playoff tournament during his prime to mentally and physically reset for the finals. Simpson was “toast” he told Golfweek and thought he’d get more out of the time off than the points.
McIlroy Putting Emphasis On Other Opportunities?
If McIlroy is in a similar spot, it’s unlikely due to overload. He famously took a midseason break to reset, and only two players in the PGA Tour’s top 60 in total strokes gained have fewer measured rounds than McIlroy this season. He hasn’t teed it up since The Open Championship and has just three starts since the U.S. Open — in June.
Here’s the wild thing: McIlroy could keep on skipping tournaments all the way up until the Tour Championship at East Lake to end the season.
McIlroy does have a busy fourth quarter to the year on top. He has pledged to play more internationally toward the end of the year, and he’ll get a lot of run as the face of Team Europe at the Ryder Cup in late September.
None of those events do much to directly benefit the PGA Tour, though, which only adds to the simmering tension between league and player.
Why PGA Tour Could Make ‘Rory McIlroy Rule’ For FedEx Cup Playoffs