Rory McIlroy is set to participate in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the initial event of the FedExCup Playoffs. His commitment to the tournament at TPC Southwind was confirmed on Friday afternoon. This marks McIlroy’s return to the event after missing it last year, and it will be his first competition since The Open Championship last month.
The full 70-man field for the FedEx St. Jude Championship will be officially determined once the Wyndham Championship concludes on Sunday. However, several prominent players have already publicly committed to the Memphis event. These include Scottie Scheffler, who is currently ranked as the world’s number one player, along with Tommy Fleetwood, the defending FedExCup champion, and Justin Rose, who won the FedEx St. Jude Championship last year.
McIlroy will enter the Playoffs positioned outside the top 10 in the FedExCup standings. This is the first time he has been in this position since 2021. Despite this, he is in a strong position to qualify for the TOUR Championship, where the points will be reset. The winner of the 72-hole event at East Lake will be crowned the FedExCup champion. McIlroy is aiming for his fourth FedExCup title, which would extend his record for the most in PGA TOUR history.
McIlroy’s Recent Form and Schedule
McIlroy successfully defended his Masters title in April, securing his sixth major championship. However, similar to 2025, he has not followed up his green jacket victory with another win. His performance at the PGA Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open saw him tie for seventh place, which are his only top-10 finishes since his Masters win at Augusta National. He finished T32 at the U.S. Open and T40 at The Open.
Despite previously expressing reservations about the new FedEx Cup playoff format, McIlroy is committed to playing in all three FedEx Cup events this summer. He had indicated that the new structure, which allows all top 30 players to qualify for the Tour Championship regardless of their rank, made the initial two events seem less significant. However, he is not repeating his decision to skip the St. Jude Championship, which he did last year.
McIlroy has a notable history at TPC Southwind, having achieved three top-five finishes in eight starts. Despite his strong performances, it remains the only active Playoffs event he has not won. His last appearance at the course in 2024 resulted in a 68th-place finish.
Break and Future Engagements
McIlroy recently took a break from competitive golf, informing the press during The Open that he would not play again until the St. Jude Championship. He used this time to spend with his family and celebrate his Masters win, which he felt he hadn’t properly done earlier in the year. During this break, McIlroy traveled to Greece with his wife and close friend Shane Lowry, and was also seen in Ibiza, Spain.
This period of celebration follows a pattern from last year, when he was filmed at a beach club in Saint-Tropez after achieving his career Grand Slam at the Masters. McIlroy’s upcoming schedule is extensive, as he is also committed to the Amgen Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship, scheduled for September 10-13 and September 17-20, respectively. This means he will be in action for five weeks, with only one week off, a rare occurrence given his typical schedule choices this year.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship itself is undergoing changes in the future. The PGA Tour Policy Board approved a new two-tier system in late June, which will divide the Tour into a Championship Series and a Challenger Series starting in 2028. The Tour Championship will also move from East Lake after 2027 and will rotate among courses such as Pine Valley, Cypress Point, and Seminole, with match play being introduced to the postseason for the first time. The FedEx St. Jude Championship will not be part of the Championship Series starting in 2028, as the Tour’s long-term deal with FedEx is set to conclude.
Source: pgatour.com
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