Reigning Masters champ Rory McIlroy to skip FedEx St. Jude Championship

Rory McIlroy, the No. 2-ranked golfer in the FedExCup standings, will not be playing in the tournament. McIlroy was not included on the PGA Tour’s list of the golfers who have qualified for the event, which is set for Aug. 7-10 at TPC Southwind.

McIlory’s decision to skip the tournament doesn’t come as a complete surprise.

“I’ll probably not play the first playoff event in Memphis,” McIlroy told The Telegraph in November 2024. “I mean, I finished basically dead last there this year (tied for 68th in a 70-man field) and only moved down one spot in the playoff standings.”

The PGA Tour also changed the format for the FedExCup playoffs this season.

The stroke advantage has also been removed for the Tour Championship. Instead of giving golfers with the most points an advantage in the Tour Championship, all golfers will start from par. In the past, the stroke advantage had made the first two FedExCup events more important because it determined who got which stroke advantages.

McIlroy is No. 2 in the FedExCup standings behind Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy’s decision to skip the tournament means the field will be set at 69 golfers instead of 70. The top 50 golfers will advance to the next round of the FedExCup playoffs.