Rory McIlroy Reveals Why He Didn’t Go To St Jude Championship

Last week, the playoffs for the FedEx Cup officially began.  The top seventy players of the season have been selected, and they are now off to the races.  The first of four events was the St Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee.  Although it was supposed to have seventy players, there was a notable absence.  Rory McIlroy, despite occupying the no. 2 spot in the FedEx rankings, was nowhere to be seen.  The decision has led to confusion and criticism.  The main question was why he had done it, and now McIlroy has answered that question.

Recap On McIlroy And St Jude Fallout

Rory McIlroy’s decision has brought him some criticism.  Some were calling it disrespectful to the sport and players.  People like Johnson Wagner were calling for rule changes to keep such an absence from happening again.  He proposed mandatory attendance with wiggle room for emergencies, given that the FedEx Cup has an elimination aspect to it.  

McIlroy was able to skip the event without any kind of repercussion.  Going into the playoffs, he was second in the FedEx Cup rankings, just behind Scottie Scheffler.  He was so far ahead of most other players that some people did the math and concluded that he could skip St Jude and the BMW Championship and still be in the race.  After the St Jude Championship, McIlroy’s FedEx Cup standing did not change.  He remained in second but he will be attending the BMW Championship.

McIlroy’s Explanation

Ahead of the BMW Championship, Rory McIlroy attended a press conference to answer some questions before the tournament.  One of the questions was on his absence from the St Jude Championship, and McIlroy answered that he just needed an extra week off ahead of a very busy schedule.

“I just think that extra week off will do me good with the events coming up. Some big events that are important to me—the Irish Open, Wentworth (BMW PGA Championship), obviously the Ryder Cup. I want to try to win my seventh Race to Dubai over in Europe as well. There’s some things that are still important to me that I want to go play in. That was a big part of the reason why I wanted to take that extra week off last week.”

During this same conference, McIlroy addressed the need for a rule change after his absence.  Mostly questioning if it was even necessary, but ultimately saying that he would support it if need be.  McIlroy also pointed out that any rules change would need to keep a lot of people happy, including the media rights partner and the sponsors.  Those two like to see big names on the field.

Up Next: The BMW Championship

Rory McIlroy may have skipped the St Jude Championship, but he’s not skipping the BMW Championship.  Nor is he skipping the Ryder Cup, Irish Open, Wentworth, or the Race to Dubai.  It was a calculated move, as suspected, but it is for much-needed rest right before McIlroy goes into several big tournaments.  McIlroy has nine very busy weeks ahead of him, and he needs to save his strength before each one.  For now, though, he is focusing on retaining his position during the BMW Championship this week.