Rory McIlroy had little at stake in last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, having already guaranteed a pass through to the next round of the PGA Tour playoffs.
Still, his sluggish performance and 66th-place finish raised some concerns, with speculation that the PGA Tour might not be happy with his approach to the playoffs.
PGA Tour Might Not Be Happy With Rory McIlroy
In breaking down the winners and losers from the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three playoff events where the top 50 advance to this week’s BMW Championship, SI.com’s Andy Nesbitt called out McIlroy’s approach. The two-time Masters champion has taken a light approach to the PGA Tour this year, spending long stretches away.
While McIlroy skipped the FedEx St. Jude Championship last year, Nesbitt noted that he might as well have stayed home. He predicted that the PGA Tour might not be happy with the approach from the No. 2-ranked golfer going into last week’s tournament.
“He finished in 66th place with a score (+8) that was better than just two other players,” Nesbitt wrote. “Thatâs not something you expect to see from the No. 2 player in the world but itâs clear that heâs not really concerned at all with the playoffs, which is kind of understandable because heâs won everything in the sport and the FedEx Cup just doesnât carry the same spark as the major championships. Still, the PGA Tour canât love seeing one of its biggest stars clearly mailing it in during what they want to be a big close to the season.”
The PGA Tour called him out directly last year, when McIlroy skipped the FedEx St. Jude. Peter Malnati, a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, said at the time that the PGA Tour didnât want his approach to set a precedent.
âVery concerned,â Malnati said. âI think there is stuff in the works [to keep it from happening again], and Iâll leave it at that.â
Rory McIlroy Plans to Regroup Before Next Tournament
McIlroy tried to look on the bright side after his dismal performance, saying it was good to shake off the rust of his long absence, even if he felt his golf swing got worse through the week. He told reporters afterward that he would spend the next week working hard to bounce back.
âTo me, itâs more about obviously the execution of what Iâm doing right now, and the execution wasnât there this week,â McIlroy said, via the Guardian. âIâm going to have to sort of put the head down and grind from now until Thursday to try to feel like I have any sort of chance next week.â
But McIlroy will have little on the line, pointing out earlier in the season that he is all but assured a trip to the Tour Championship in Atlanta next week. The top 30 golfers from the BMW Championship will advance to the final tournament of the playoffs, where all golfers will start at even par and the winner of the weekend is crowned champion.
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