McIlroy is blowing off the first leg of the three-tournament set that begins the tour’s playoff format.
According to a report, at least one tour veteran isn’t pleased with Rory McIlroy blowing off the first leg of the PGA Tour playoffs, the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which is set to begin this weekend in Memphis.
McIlroy is rubbing people the wrong way. Say it isn’t so.
Peter Malnati, one of the player directors on the PGA Tour Policy Board, told Golfweek some veterans are “very concerned” about the situation.
Arguably, the biggest name on your roster not showing up to the culmination of the tour’s season isn’t a good look, and the PGA can do nothing about it. All 30 players will start at even par in this year’s tour championship.n A change to the format this season.
From the PGA Tour:
The PGA TOUR is announcing three meaningful changes to the TOUR Championship:
- Elimination of Starting Strokes: The TOUR Championship will be played as a 72-hole stroke-play event, with all players starting the tournament at even par. The best performer over the course of four rounds at the TOUR Championship will win the FedExCup.
- Adjustments to course setup: In response to data indicating fans want to see winning scores closer to par, the PGA TOUR Rules Committee will adjust its course setup approach to encourage more risk/reward moments throughout each round, further heightening the drama and competition to determine the FedExCup champion.
- Toughest tournament to qualify for: Already the most elite field in golf, the TOUR Championship field size will remain at 30 players in 2025. The Player Advisory Council is studying the qualification system of future years to raise the stakes on the entire FedExCup season and reinforce the TOUR Championship as the hardest tournament to qualify for.
As the PGA TOUR continues to evolve and respond to feedback from fans and players, additional enhancements to the TOUR Championship are being evaluated and will be announced in the coming months.
“We want the TOUR Championship to be the hardest tournament to qualify for and the FedExCup trophy the most difficult to win,” said reigning FedExCup champion and PAC member Scottie Scheffler. “Shifting the TOUR Championship to a more straight-up format with a tougher course setup makes it easier for fans to follow and provides a more challenging test for players – which brings out the best competition.”
so Taking a personal bye week won’t affect McIlroy much.
Think the Golden State Warriors sitting out Curry at the end of the NBA season.
McIlroy is currently in second place in the FedEx Cup standings with 3,444 points. Scottie Sheffler is in the lead with 4,806 points. Malnati says there may be “things in the works” to stop things like this from happening in the future.
What things, we don’t know. But the tour seems irritated with Mcllroy’s behavior.
From Golfweek:
Webb Simpson, a fellow player director on the Tour board, didn’t elaborate if it would be a rule or a penalty implemented to discourage others from skipping playoff events in the future and said he didn’t have a problem with McIlroy’s decision.
“I think it’s too hard of a thing to make guys have to play. We’re still a sport where you can play when you want to play,” Simpson said.
Last season, McIlroy finished second-to-last in the first round of the tour’s playoffs.
“I mean, I finished basically dead last there this year and only moved down one spot in the playoff standings,” he said at the time. Not showing doesn’t bother “the face” of the PGA Tour.
Should it bother anyone else?
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