Rory McIlroy announced he is skipping the forthcoming St. Jude event. This leave, a second strong absence on the eve of the PGA Tour playoff opener, is sending shockwaves. The tour released the tournament field on Friday. Because of McIlroy’s absence, next week’s tournament in Memphis, Tennessee will still include a cut with a revised field of 69 players.
McIlroy’s last competitive appearance was in St. Andrews two weeks ago, where he placed tied for seventh at the Open Championship. Currently, McIlroy is second in the FedEx Cup standings, behind only world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. He decided to pull out of a tournament that has historically been one of his toughest. Last year, he came in second–to–last place, a performance with which he was quite disappointed and thinking back on fondly.
Last November, in an interview with The Telegraph, McIlroy announced that he hoped to play less often going forward. Perhaps this longing contributed to his decision to pull the plug on the St. Jude tournament. “I mean, I finished basically dead last there this year, and only moved down one spot in the playoff standings,” McIlroy noted, underscoring his lack of success at this particular event.
Having the St. Jude tournament as part of the PGA Tour playoffs would be a great benefit. It serves as the first step in the long journey toward the coveted Tour Championship. The field is limited to the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings after the Wyndham Championship. McIlroy, who has won or finished second in consecutive weeks, is now well positioned to move on to the BMW Championship and eventually the Tour Championship. His absence from St. Jude means a lot to his playoff strategy.
Scottie Scheffler still sits atop the FedEx Cup standings. He had already announced that he wouldn’t be playing this year’s St. Jude tournament. Scheffler is now assured of his place among the game’s top 50 players. Unlike McIlroy, he won’t have to play in Memphis to get into the BMW Championship.
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