The PGA Tour calendar is shifting to the FedEx Cup playoffs, with 70 golfers securing a spot in the FedEx St. Jude Classic, but one will not be on the course. 

Reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy decided to sit out of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, a decision that has stirred controversy within the PGA Tour and has one PGA Tour official “very concerned.”

McIlroy enters the FedEx Cup playoffs second in the standings behind only Scottie Scheffler, who has a commanding lead with 4,806 points — well over 1,000 more than any other player.

Here’s what you need to know about McIlroy’s decision to skip the FedEx St. Jude Championship. 

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Why Rory McIlroy is skipping FedEx St. Jude Championship

McIlroy opted to sit out of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, knowing he has enough points to still advance to the BMW Championship the following week.

The top 50 players in the standings advance to the BMW Championship, and McIlroy enters the playoffs ranked second with 3,444 points; he is one of two players with more than 3,000 points and one of eight with more than 2,000.

Because of a change in format, the Tour Championship no longer takes FedEx Cup points into account. While players would have had an advantage in the past if they ranked higher in the standings, all players now start at even par and aren’t penalized for ranking lower than other players coming into the event. 

McIlroy finished second-to-last at the St. Jude Classic in 2024, and he hinted in November that the lack of consequences could lead him to sit out.

“I mean, I finished basically dead last there this year, and only moved down one spot in the playoff standings,” McIlroy said.

He has never won the St. Jude Classic. 

Because of the cushion McIlroy has in the standings, it’s also possible he may not even need to compete in the BMW Championship to reach the Tour Championship — but he hasn’t indicated any plans to sit out of that tournament as well. 

The decision has ruffled some feathers, though McIlroy isn’t the first in PGA Tour history to make it. Asked about whether the format could be changed again to prevent players from sitting out of playoff events, PGA Tour Policy Board player director Peter Malnati told reporters, “I think there is stuff in the works, and I’ll leave it at that.”

MORE: FedEx St. Jude Championship expert picks, predictions

Has Rory McIlroy won the FedEx Cup?

McIlroy is a three-time winner of the FedEx Cup, last winning in 2022. No player has more FedEx Cup titles than McIlroy since the playoff system was established in 2007.

The five-time major champion won his first FedEx Cup in 2016, followed by two more wins three years apart in 2019 and 2022. That pattern seems to bode well for McIlroy in 2025, a year that has already gifted him the career grand slam, but other golfers will get the chance to build some momentum in the St. Jude Championship before he takes the course.

FedEx Cup standings

Ahead of the first FedEx Cup playoff event, Scheffler and McIlroy lead the way with 4,806 and 3,444 points, respectively, followed by Sepp Straka, Russell Henley and Justin Thomas. 

Here are the top 70 points leaders in the FedEx Cup standings: