The PGA Tour have a fair few issues that need to be addressed heading into the 2026 season.
One of the key problems that the PGA Tour need to sort out is how to ensure that the best players compete in all three FedEx Cup Playoff events, after Rory McIlroy decided to skip the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
Brian Rolapp has insisted that he will not be overly bound by golf’s traditions as he looks to bring the PGA Tour on into the 21st century.
And addressing the format of the FedEx Cup Playoffs will be one of his main priorities during the off-season.
McIlroy choosing not to play at the FedEx St. Jude Championship has highlighted a real issue with the current system.
However, the PGA Tour are being warned that they could be approaching dangerous territory with a rule that they are supposedly trying to implement.
The PGA Tour considering decision after Rory McIlroy no-show
Peter Malnati – a player director on the PGA Tour policy board – responded when asked if he is concerned about McIlroy’s decision to skip the event in Memphis this week.
He said: “Very concerned.
“I think there is stuff in the works and I’ll leave it at that.”
Many people have suggested that Malnati’s comments meant that the PGA Tour are already trying to close the loophole that allowed McIlroy to miss the tournament at TPC Southwind.
And that could set a dangerous precedent, according to Ryan Lavner.
When speaking on the Golf Channel, Lavner suggested that the PGA Tour could be making a dangerous move if they change things up so that players are obligated to play in all of the Playoff events.
Lavner said, “This is not a new problem. Tiger Woods has skipped playoff events before. Vijay [Singh] did it. Webb Simpson actually skipped a BMW Championship one year to prioritise rest and recovery heading into the Tour Championship.
“The reason I bring it up is because Peter Malnati, a player director on the PGA Tour policy board, mentioned that he was ‘very concerned’ about the prospect of a player of Rory McIlroy’s ilk who decides to skip one of the post season events and seemed to suggest that the PGA Tour was already looking to close that loophole.
“To me that is dangerous territory. The PGA Tour has already tried to have compulsory participation with the elevated events a couple of years ago. That backfired, players were still skipping them and they ended up relinquishing that mandate.“
Lavner is right with those comments. PGA Tour players are independent contractors, and forcing them to play in certain events could lead to a mass exodus from the tour.
Why Rory McIlroy should be defended for skipping the FedEx St. Jude
McIlroy is doing his bit for growing the game around the world.
He is due to play in Ireland, England, India, the UAE and Australia between now and the end of the year.
The fact that he’s taking a week off from the PGA Tour ahead of the final two Playoff events of the season is not a bad thing at all.
There are no rules in place to prevent him from doing so either.
With no handicap system in place at the Tour Championship now, there was nothing to gain from McIlroy playing in Memphis anyway.
His chances of winning the Tour Championship would not change whether he won the FedEx St. Jude Classic or finished dead last.
And that is the PGA Tour’s issue, not McIlroy’s.
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