Rory McIlroy’s return to the FedExCup Playoffs has produced an unexpected sideshow. It’s not just his poor performance at Memphis that’s been the talk of the town. A simple mistake has put him in the limelight for all the wrong reasons at the $20 million St. Jude Championship.
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Images circulating on social media show his caddie, Harry Diamond, wearing a caddie bib that spells the Northern Irishman’s name as “MCLLROY.” In fact, images shared in an X post even show the leaderboard using “MCLLROY” instead of “MCILROY.”
This isn’t an isolated event, though. Rory McIlroy had suffered the same blunder at the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, too.
The caddie bibs at the playoff opener event feature artwork created by St. Jude patients. However, the naming error has become a bigger highlight than that. Sadly for the 37-year-old pro, the misspelled name fits with his performance at TPS Southwind.
McIlroy returned to the event after skipping it last year. When asked about the decision, he explained that having four weeks off before the final two playoff events would be a little too long for him. He also saw the FedEx St. Jude as a chance to gauge where his game stood and get some practice in before the season finale.
“I think it’s important to be here. It’s the Tour’s playoffs, and I think it’s important for all the players to be here,” McIlroy said ahead of the St. Jude Championship 2026.
However, all the enthusiasm might have cleared off after his six-over 216 after three rounds. Being paired with Scottie Scheffler, he carded an opening round of four-over 74. It featured two birdies, four bogeys, and a double bogey on the par-four 18th, which has been a troubling hole for him throughout.
He followed it with a round of even par 70, three birdies and an equal number of bogeys, including one on the 18th hole. In his third round, he again scored a double bogey on the 18th to finish two-over 72. Thus, his cumulative score across all three rounds now stands at six-over, and he currently ranks tied for 62nd.
This misspelled last name on the caddie bib just shows how challenging a time he is facing at the St. Jude Championship.
Fans couldn’t believe Rory McIlroy’s name was misspelled
Some fans focused on how easy the mistake appeared to fix. One joked, “Little bit of white tape required.” The comment captured the absurdity of seeing such a basic typo remain visible on the course. Using white tape would have removed the horizontal line from one of the Ls, which could have done the trick. However, it wasn’t just the bib, as some images showed the leaderboard using the same name. This led some fans to believe that it was not an error, but that the I appeared to be an L because of the font used.
Another fan took the joke further, writing, “Rory McLLroy is +3. Rory Daniel Mcilroy is not playing this week.” The gag appears to be very relatable. Rory McIlroy is not often associated with such scores. Fans have seen him consistently play below par rounds and win many tournaments. He has won 30 events on the PGA Tour so far, including two Masters. The comment lands well because it suggests that this is not the usual McIlroy but some other “MCLLROY” playing in Memphis.
Some fans pointed fingers at the person responsible for printing the bib and the management. “Bib guy, you had ONE job,” said one user, while another wrote, “Is this for real?”
These comments seemed understandable responses given the setting. The FedEx St. Jude Championship is the opening event of the FedExCup playoffs and carries a $20 million purse. Such a basic mistake at such a big event reflects carelessness. However, there’s no clarity yet on whether it was a genuine mistake or the font made the “I” appear to be an “L.”
Another reaction imagined how the error would sound in the most formal setting possible. “On the first tee, 2-time Masters Champion, Rory McLlroy,” the fan wrote. The joke worked because the first part of the introduction was entirely accurate. Pairing his prestigious achievement with the misspelled surname made the contrast more ridiculous.
For fans, then, the “MCLLROY” mistake became more than a simple typo. It provided an easy target for jokes and disbelief.