McIlroy is the reigning Masters champion and is currently No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings. To add to his recent turmoil, he’s now opted out of the St. Jude Championship, the FedEx Cup playoff opening event. Local officials and fans have taken to the airwaves to express their outrage over this catastrophic decision. McIlroy’s historic achievements and potential playoff path only add to the momentousness.
The Northern Irishman’s last tournament was the Open Championship, where he finished T7. His missing the St. Jude’s event underscores a growing trend among elite players. That was something that they have repeatedly opted out of over the years, that first playoff series. Of course, Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk have famously opted to miss the opening round in the past. Though they rebounded from that miscue to win the FedEx Cup Championship in subsequent years.
This year, only the top 70 players have qualified for the FedEx Cup playoffs. From there, the top 70 will go on to the Masters Tournament. The world No. 6 McIlroy withdrew from play this week. This decision still leaves him alive to make it to the Tour Championship at East Lake, even if he doesn’t play the BMW Championship as well. During this culminating event, all competitors will start out with a score of even par. This is a change from earlier formats which operated under a Starting Strokes format.
Former PGA Tour Policy Board player director Jordan Spieth weighed in on the long-term effects of McIlroy’s stance. Yet he remained skeptical about the increasing trend of avoiding postseason activities. He added, “Maybe you have 1-2 guys pull that for an event, but I don’t think it’s going to become a trend. These are still massive events, with the best players in the world.” I think they’re trying to figure out how to make sure you don’t skip both of them and ideally neither of them.
We’ve seen players react positively and negatively to this year’s playoff format, but at times it leaves loopholes, which players have capitalized on. Otherwise, McIlroy would appear to be taking advantage of a loophole in the new format. This, predictably, has drawn the ire of some officials concerned with protecting competitive fairness.
As the playoffs proceed, the focus will remain on how McIlroy’s absence impacts not only his own standing but the dynamics among other competitors. His extraordinary record and talent put him among the top frontrunners. If he chooses to come back for the finale events, he would have no trouble retaking his seat.
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