Is this another event of the year, seeing a player exodus? It appears that the mass withdrawal just before the event may be due to the actions of one major player. Earlier in the 2025 season, the golf fans witnessed the disheartening withdrawal of more than 12 players at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Now, with the sour pill of the round two delay due to thunderstorms, there is more heartbreaking news for the fans.

After the Wyndham Championship, there are two back-to-back $20 million events lined up, namely the FedEx St. Jude Championship and BMW Championship. But with the days closing to the St. Jude, the World No. 2 has shared a hard call for his participation, which raised the worry as before.

Underdog Golf, sharing the update about Rory McIlroy’s participation, wrote on X, “Rory McIlroy not playing next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.” After the news struck the internet, Dan Rapaport, a golf journalist, hinted at a major trend incoming. While quoting the post, he wrote on X, “Wonder if this will be a trend with the new Tour Championship format. Rory knows he’s making it to East Lake no matter what, and doesn’t need to accumulate points in Playoffs because it wipes clean before East Lake. It’s hot as hell in Memphis, he’ll be fresh in Baltimore.”

Even though the Northern Irishman might be taking a rest due to his lead in the FedEx Cup playoff standings, it might be a sign for other golfers to follow. Earlier at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open, where McIlroy stepped back from participation, many other golfers followed. Players like Brian Campbell, Ben Martin, Brandon Matthews, and more withdrew, citing injuries and other reasons. Now, with this news of him being away, the journalist fears witnessing the same again.

However, instead of being surprised by the move and fans’ anger over his move, the golfer had already hinted at his participation back in November 2024.

Rory McIlroy on his 2025 participation

The grand slam winner in November 2024 hinted at his limited participation in the 2025 season. Even for the fact he has already missed a few events this year. McIlroy stayed away from the starting four events and played directly at the AT&T Pebble Beach. Not just that, the list continued with him missing the WM Phoenix Open, Cognizant Classic, RBC Heritage, WM Phoenix Open, and many others.

For his participation in 2025, he shared, “I’ll probably not play the first play-off event in Memphis. I mean, I finished dead last there this year and only moved down one spot in the play-off standings.” The Irishman was placed T68 in the 2024 edition, and keeping that in mind, he planned to step away from participation in the first round of the playoffs.

With a record of 0 wins at the event, the grand slam winner sits in a great spot with a 900-point lead over the third-place Sepp Straka to afford to miss the event. The move will not only help him keep his confidence higher, but will give him ample time to rest before he shows up at the second round of the playoffs in Baltimore. The golfer with his move is all set to switch gears after a long break. But can he get the desired result after that? Or will his move result in the worry of Dan Rapaport coming true? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.