Rory McIlroy will take no part in the first FedEx Cup Play-off event in Memphis next week.
The Northern Irishman wasn’t on the 70-man list released by the PGA Tour on Friday night for the St Jude Championship at TPC Southwind.
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McIlroy is giving this tournament a missCredit: Getty
There has yet to be an official reason why the 2025 Masters champion is set to sit this one out.
But a slight rule change to the way the Tour Championship works might partly explain it.
As it stands on the FedEx Cup table, McIlroy is second, behind Scottie Scheffler.
However, unlike previous years, sitting out one play-off event is unlikely to impact his chances of winning the Tour Championship.
This is because the PGA Tour have removed starting strokes from the Tour Championship.
Previously, each player started on a certain number under par, depending on where they finished in the FedEx Cup standings.
For example, as it stands, McIlroy would have started the Tour Championship on eight under, while Scheffler would be ten under.
As a result of this, Scheffler claimed victory last year despite Colin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala out-scoring the world no.1.
But as long as McIlroy is in the top 30 this year, he will have as much of a chance of winning the Tour Championship as Scheffler and co, with every player starting on level-par.
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Since winning The Masters, McIlroy’s season has been poorCredit: Getty
It means there is no motivation for McIlroy to play for second in the FedEx Cup standings, as long as he stays in the top 30 – which is all-but guaranteed.
The play-offs do offer four times the points, so it’s very possible he slides down the rankings, but he shouldn’t be dropping out of the top 30.
What is the prize money for the St Jude Championship?
Despite the rule change basically giving him the freedom to miss this event, McIlroy still stands to lose out on a huge amount of money.
This is because the total prize pot for the St Jude Championship is around £15million.
And with the world no.2 not involved, the field will consist of 69 players rather than 70.
There will be no replacement for McIlroy at the St Jude Championship, where it is set to be hot.
The temperature is set to be 33 degrees throughout the whole tournament.
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McIlroy’s decision to skip this event is a blow for the PGA Tour, who are without one of their star names for a huge tournament.
They will hope this rule change doesn’t lead to more players following the Northern Irishman’s lead in future events.
Meanwhile, McIlroy will prepare himself for the second play-off event at the BMW Championship.
