The FedEx Cup Playoffs kick off this week, and PGA Tour superstar Rory McIlroy has decided to skip the St. Jude Championship altogether. But thanks to his killer season, he is sitting at No. 2 in the FedEx Cup Standings. So, with his spot at the Tour Championship locked in, McIlroy, who’s raked in nearly $70 million in FedEx Cup Playoffs career earnings, has earned the privilege of sitting out this week. But as is normally the case with McIlroy, his decision has caused a stir. Which may prove to be a problem for the Tour.

During a recent discussion on the Golf Channel, Ryan Lavner addressed the danger of introducing such a ‘Rory McIlroy Rule’ to deal with Tour pros’ absence during the playoffs and stated, “To me, that is dangerous territory. The PGA Tour has already tried to have compulsory participation in the elevated events a couple of years ago. That backfired.” Eamon Lynch’s reply, however, is even more impactful: “We have a situation now where the players think they are owners, and we have a situation where there are actual people who think they’re owners, the investors.” 

Let’s break down the points to understand the argument better. In 2023, the PGA Tour tried to mandate Signature Event appearances, but it didn’t end well. It impacted pros big time, especially Rory McIlroy, who paid approximately $3M in fines for skipping two Signature Events. Even so, players still skipped them. Defeated, the Tour scrapped that ruling this season.

So, what’s the point of introducing another rule like that, considering the history? Lynch notes you can’t force players to compete, especially since anything can sideline them at any time. Scottie Scheffler missed events after hurting his hand in a weird Christmas accident. Xander Schauffele did too, given that he is still dealing with the consequences of his rib injury.

So, Lynch says, “These guys have the right under the rules to play wherever and whenever they want; it is not compulsory at all. And I don’t see the players voting to make it compulsory.” At this point, the ball falls into the hands of the investors. Do they want to make it compulsory to present a better PGA Tour product? Well, likely.

Lynch explains that it  “does seem to be a crucial issue in terms of who is making the decisions for the best interest of the business of the PGA Tour, rather than the business of individual players.” Once again, the Tour will have to think in favor of their investors and market to build another mandatory attendance policy when it comes to the playoffs. Now, will the PGA Tour revisit mandatory attendance for Signature Events? And if it does so, might it face a similar fate? Well, likely — especially with previous major winners showing support for Rory McIlroy.

Former major champion Rich Beem has made sense of Rory McIlroy’s absence

Former major champion Rich Beem believes Rory McIlroy is skipping this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship to avoid the sweltering heat and conserve energy. The former PGA Championship winner commented that McIlroy’s decision isn’t surprising if he wants to secure a record fourth FedExCup title, despite forgoing potential winnings of $3.6 million (£2.7m).

McIlroy is the only one of the 70 eligible players choosing to skip the tournament in Memphis, Tennessee. However, being in second place in the season-long rankings guarantees his spot in the next two Playoff events – the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship. And Beem understands it. On the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, host Jamie Weir asked Beem if he was surprised by McIlroy’s decision, and he responded: “No.” 

“The reason I say that is because McIlroy is currently in second place, he’s almost a thousand points ahead of Sepp Straka in third. He’s not going to drop too many spots by the time they get to the BMW Championship.” Aside from that, Beem also noted that the hot conditions in Memphis “can sap your energy.” So, if Rory McIlroy is taking the week off to win his next FedExCup, Beem believes, “I think Rory taking this week off to save himself for the last two is not a bad call.”

McIlroy is the only player within 2,000 points of Scottie Scheffler, who’s secured the No. 1 spot heading into the BMW Championship. Overall, the FedExCup Playoffs feature three tournaments with progressively smaller fields – starting with 70 players, then narrowing to 50 for the BMW Championship, and finally 30 for the Tour Championship. Essentially, according to Beem, McIlroy’s decision to skip the FedEx St. Jude Championship will help him by allowing him to be more rested for the crucial BMW Championship and Tour Championship. What do you think? Let us know!