Rory McIlroy snubs €17m PGA Tour event after FedEx Cup rule changes
The reigning Masters champion currently sits second in the FedExCup standings behind Scottie Scheffler and remains on track to qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake later this month. McIlroy is the first high-profile player to withdraw, with the possibility of more top names following suit.
His absence is a notable blow to the PGA Tour, as one of its marquee players will miss a key part of the season's finale. However, under the tour's updated format, McIlroy risks only forfeiting a shot at the purse, not his place in the playoffs.
In May, the PGA Tour announced that it would be doing away with starting strokes for this year's Tour Championship. Previously, the player leading the FedExCup points list would kick off the tournament at 10-under, followed by the second at 8-under, third at 7-under, fourth at 6-under and fifth at 5-under.
The remaining 25 players would be divided into five groups based on their ranking and assigned a corresponding starting score. This year, however, all players will begin the tournament at level par.
Last year, Scottie Scheffler began the tournament at 10-under and steamrolled through the field to claim victory at 30-under. Yet Collin Morikawa (-22) and Sahith Theegala (-21) actually posted superior scores to the World No.1 across the full 72 holes.
Without such a scoring arrangement in place this year, it's irrelevant whether McIlroy secures second spot or 30th - as long as he remains within the top 30 by the conclusion of the second playoff tournament.
The pair of playoff tournaments, featuring fields of 70 and 50 before trimming down to 30 for the Tour Championship, provide four times the points of any standard season event without any cuts.
For McIlroy, who sits second and comfortably within the top 30, and has little to lose even if he slips a few positions, it means he can afford to relax next weekend. But if other leading players who could mathematically reach the Tour Championship adopt the same approach, it might become an issue for the PGA Tour.
However, fans have not welcomed McIlroy's controversial decision from the event with such understanding, as many took to social media to hit out at the Northern Irishman. One said: "I like this guy less and less every week."
Another added: "As far as I'm concerned he just stays home and never comes back." Not everyone was as troubled by the news though, as some admitted they don't blame McIlroy for making the decision to skip the tournament.
One understanding fan noted: "Without the staggered start in the finale, there will be many skipping an event. Can't blame 'em."
Scheffler, who previously benefited from the starting stroke advantage and holds the defending champion title, has welcomed the alteration to the rules.
"At the end of the day you have to perform when it matters the most. I think now with the format we have, we have a great format of a 72-hole golf tournament," he said. "If I want to win the FedExCup, I have to play well at the last week of the season, and it's just simple as that.
"I didn't love the previous format of starting strokes, and I really like the direction where we're going."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Justin Thomas looking to earn automatic Ryder Cup spot with PGA Tour run-in
The reformatting of the FedEx Cup playoffs has brought a new dynamic to the PGA Tour 's run-in, with Justin Thomas admitting the final three tournaments – starting with the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis – will determine how he will look back on his season. Thomas, a winner of the RBC Heritage earlier in the year, has improved from 25th at the end of 2024 up to his current fourth position on the official world rankings, but is keen to add further wins in the coming weeks, and to book his US Ryder Cup spot for the match in Bethpage next month. 'I'm definitely not going to make any judgments or assess anything for the time being. With three big events left and three tournaments, I feel like I could have a good chance to go out and try to win and put myself in contention. 'That's the goal, just to try to do that each week. I'm teeing it up these next three, and hopefully we can try to get a couple of them and ultimately the FedExCup,' said Thomas of the run-in that takes in the St Jude, next week's BMW and finally the Tour Championship where, unlike in recent years, each of the 30 players who make it to East Lake will start off level. READ MORE Thomas is currently seventh in the US Ryder Cup standings and is aiming to get into the top six to earn an automatic place in Keegan Bradley's team: 'I want to be in that top six. Just for me personally, it just would mean a lot to me to get that done because having been picked, or having to rely on a pick a couple times. I definitely like the level of low stress and just the sense of calm knowing that you're qualified versus waiting for that phone to ring.' With Rory McIlroy opting to skip the St Jude, it means that Shane Lowry is the only Irish player in the 69-player field which does not have a cut. Lowry is currently 17th on the FedEx Cup standings and on course for a return to the Tour Championship later this month, with the top-30 earning their spots in East Lake. Japan' Hideki Matsuyama takes a selfie after winning last year's FedEx St Jude Championship at TPC Southwind. Photograph:Lowdown Purse: $20 million (€17.2 million)/$3.6 million (€3.1 million) to the winner. Where: Memphis, Tennessee. The course: TPC Southwind – designed by Ron Prichard – is a 7,288 yards, par 70 layout that also had inputs from former tour players Fuzzy Zoeller, Hubert Green and Loren Roberts. There are just short of 100 bunkers strategically located throughout the layout, while 10 water hazards come into play. There are two outstanding par-3s on the homeward run: the 168 yards 11th hole, considered a shorter version of the 17th island hole at Sawgrass, and the 205 yards 14th, which traditionally ranks as one of the toughest holes on the PGA Tour. Some fairways were recontoured in the past year to facilitate a new drainage system while new greens have also been constructed since Hideki Matsuyama's win last year. The playoffs: This is the first of three tournaments to close out the PGA Tour season. The FedExCup playoffs feature a progressive cut, with fields of 70 (69 here given Rory McIlroy's absence) for the FedEx St Jude Championship, 50 for the BMW Championship (Caves Valley Golf Club, Owings Mills, Maryland) and 30 for the Tour Championship (East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia), where the FedExCup champion will be determined. The field: The 69-player field, with no cut, has nine of the top-10 from the world rankings playing, headed by world number one and recent Claret Jug custodian Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy has opted to skip this tournament at a course where he traditionally has fared poorly, with the Northern Irishman having a busy schedule ahead that sees him play the final two events of the FedEx Cup playoffs before returning to Europe for the Irish Open and the BMW Championship ahead of the Ryder Cup. Irish in the field: Shane Lowry is the lone Irish player in the field and has been paired with Cameron Young – last week's winner of the Wyndham Championship – for the opening round (3.15pm Irish time). Lowry is playing for the first time since The Open and currently lies in 17th position in the FedEx Cup standings. Betting: No surprise that Scheffler – a four-time winner on the PGA Tour this season, including the PGA Championship and The Open – has been installed as a strong 11-4 favourite, with Xander Schauffele rated 16-1. Justin Thomas has shown improved form of late and is available at 22-1. Cameron Young's breakthrough win last week should attract some interest at 35s while another in-form player, Chris Gotterup, is also available at 35-1. On TV: Live on Sky Sports (from 1pm) and on Sky Sports Golf (from 6pm).
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Rory McIlroy absence at the St Jude Championship has Tour considering FedEx Cup rule change
Rory McIlroy's decision to skip the first round of the FedEx playoffs this week has the PGA Tour considering a rule change when it comes to the three-event season-ending dash to the Tour Championship. With his spot near the top of the FedEx Cup points standings secure, McIlroy elected to skip this week's St Jude Championship at Memphis knowing that he has enough points to advance to the BMW Championship next week. The top 70 players in the points standings earn a spot in the play-offs with 20 eliminated before the BMW. The top 30 in the standings after the first two weeks of the play-offs advance to the Tour Championship at Atlanta from 21-24 August. McIlroy is the only tour player in the top 70 of the points standings who is not at Memphis this week. Peter Malnati, player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, was asked about McIlroy's absence and expressed concern. "I think there is stuff in the works (about a rule change) and I'll leave it at that," Malnati said to Golf Week. It is unknown if a rule change would include a fine for non-participation or an elimination from the remainder of the playoffs all together. McIlroy, a three-time Tour Championship winner in 2016, 2019 and 2022, said as far back as last year that he would likely skip the St. Jude Championship if his place in the points standings was secure. He referenced a poor finish in the event last year that did not come close to stopping him from moving on the next round. Scottie Scheffler leads the FedEx Cup standings with 4,806 points, while McIlroy is second with 3,444. Spot number 50 currently is held by Australian Min Woo Lee at 851 points. Daniel Berger at 1,167 points occupies 30th spot. McIlroy has been mulling over a reduced PGA Tour schedule after also participating in events at Australia, Ireland, India and the United Arab Emirates this year. He also will represent Europe at the upcoming Ryder Cup.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
US sports lobby Home Office for travel exemption after golf caddie refused UK entry
Sports organisations in the US will press the Home Office to apply exemptions to new travel rules for American citizens entering the UK after the caddie of golfer Harris English missed out on around £130,000 by being denied access for the Scottish Open and Open Championship. The case of Eric Larson has alerted the likes of the NFL and NBA, which stage games in London, that sportspeople or staff can be prohibited from entering the UK under Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) rules if they have a criminal conviction. Larson was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 1995 for involvement in drug dealing and rebuilt his career as a caddie for several leading PGA Tour players after serving 10 years. Larson's past had largely been forgotten until the Scottish Open, when it was revealed any American citizen given a custodial sentence of at least 12 months will now be denied UK entry. ETA implementation started in January this year. Larson was refused travel despite lobbying to the Home Office from the PGA Tour and the R&A. English tied 22nd in Scotland and finished second in the Open. Caddies typically receive around 10% of their player's winnings; English earned more than £1.8m from his UK trip. As things stand, Larson will encounter the same situation in 2026. The American bodies will point to the fact Donald Trump's ban on citizens from a dozen countries entering the US – another seven have been served with restrictions – contains an exemption intended to apply to players, staff or associated families linked to the 2026 Fifa World Cup or the 2028 Olympics. No such leeway presently exists for the UK border. 'Sporting bodies are now asking the UK to apply sporting exemptions on this system,' confirmed a senior figure within US sport. The Home Office did not offer comment on whether it has already been asked to apply sporting exemptions on the ETA and what any response towards this might be. A source with knowledge of the Home Office position added: 'Each application for a decision outside the rules is considered on its merits but informed by previous examples and precedents.' The same source confirmed the 'mandatory and automatic refusal of entry clearance for individuals who have received a previous custodial sentence of at least 12 months'. The NFL will return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for matches on back-to-back weekends in October. The NBA announced last week that games will be staged in London in early 2026 and Manchester the following year. An obvious anomaly with the UK's current stance can be demonstrated within golf. Ángel Cabrera received a multi-year prison term for crimes against women. The former Masters champion, from Argentina, played in the Senior Open at Sunningdale in July. The Australian Ryan Peake participated in the Open at Royal Portrush, six years after being released from jail on a serious assault conviction. Peake is understood to hold a UK passport.
