There has been plenty of debate ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, with Rory McIlroy deciding that he will not tee it up this week in Memphis.
The PGA Tour will obviously be hoping that the FedEx Cup playoffs prove to be a fitting finale to this stage of the season. They will certainly be helped by the fact that so many players will have their sights set on booking their ticket to the Ryder Cup in September.
But what may not help is one of the game’s biggest stars deciding to not play in the opening playoff event at TPC Southwind. Rory McIlroy will not be involved in the coming days.
You can definitely understand McIlroy’s stance. Only Max Homa finished below the Northern Irishman at last year’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, and yet, the 36-year-old only dropped two places to fifth in the standings.
Johnson Wagner reacts to Rory McIlroy skipping the FedEx St. Jude Championship
And with the Tour Championship getting rid of staggered starting strokes this year, every player only needs to worry about making the top 30. McIlroy would be able to skip the BMW Championship if he wanted to.
With that, Johnson Wagner has told 5 Clubs that the PGA Tour needs to look at introducing a new rule which would prevent someone like McIlroy sitting out playoff events in future.
“My whole thing is FedEx has been such an integral part of the PGA Tour since 2007, with the inception of the FedEx Cup. And all of those who have played the tour or currently play the tour owe them a ton for our retirement accounts, for everything that we’ve gotten. And Rory’s a three-time champion of the FedEx Cup, you would like to see players [playing], and maybe the tour has to start mandating them,” he said.
“Unless you’re injured – I don’t know how you could mandate that, you could come up with an injury pretty easy – but if you don’t play, there are no bye weeks on the PGA Tour playoffs. If you don’t play, you’re out. I think that’s the only way to fix it.”
Why the PGA Tour really does not need to panic as Rory McIlroy skips the first playoff event
Of course, the PGA Tour will be disappointed that McIlroy will not be playing. While Scottie Scheffler is the best player in the world, McIlroy is arguably the biggest name.
Having said that, there is no reason for the PGA Tour to panic. As things stand, 69 of the 70 players who made the playoffs will be playing this week. It could have been so much worse given how many players can probably sit out the first two events and still make the Tour Championship.
It also appears that the Tour Championship format is likely to change again next year. So there is little need for a rash decision.
It would still be a good idea to make every player earn their place at the next playoff event each week. But much may depend on what the Tour Championship looks like from 2026 onwards.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
