PGA Tour organizers express worries over Rory McIlroy's miss in the tour's initial playoff stretch
The 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship saw Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy finish almost last, yet his absence only moved him down one spot in the playoff standings. This year's decision by McIlroy to skip the tournament has prompted PGA Tour officials to consider changes aimed at preventing top players from using the new playoff structure to skip early playoff events.
The Tour Championship, scheduled later this month in Atlanta, will conclude the 2025 PGA Tour postseason and bring together the year's top-30 players for a shot at the FedEx Cup trophy. However, the current playoff format allows all 70 who qualify for St. Jude to accumulate points, while the top 50 advance to BMW and top 30 to the Tour Championship. Top players can be effectively insulated by high season-long point totals and skip early events while still advancing.
In response to McIlroy's decision, PGA Tour officials are discussing several potential rule changes. These include mandatory appearance or participation requirements for playoff qualifiers, lock-in math or guaranteed advancement adjustments, minimum-play or “must-play” windows for top-ranked players, penalties for non-entry without valid reason, conditional exemptions and approval processes, and event-specific incentives.
Direct comments from PGA Tour Policy Board members indicate internal discussion of mandatory participation, approval processes, and penalties. Changes to points math or where quadruple points apply would be more structural and might require broader evaluation. Opinion pieces argue for incentive-based solutions rather than heavy-handed “one-player” rules.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship is the first leg of the 2025 PGA Tour playoffs, followed by the BMW Championship and concluding with the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta. McIlroy had previously hinted at potentially skipping the St. Jude Championship, as stated in Nov. 2024 to The Telegraph. Despite his decision to skip the first leg, McIlroy is expected to compete in the final leg of the playoffs in Atlanta and the penultimate event in Baltimore.
Jordan Spieth expressed skepticism about McIlroy's decision becoming a trend, stating "I don't think it will become a thing." Meanwhile, Peter Malnati, a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, expressed concern over McIlroy's decision to skip the tournament.
Stay tuned for official announcements from the PGA Tour as they appear regarding any rule changes that may be implemented in the future.
Top players, like Rory McIlroy, are using the current playoff structure to skip early events without any significant implications on their standings. In response to this, PGA Tour officials are considering implementing changes, such as mandatory participation, approval processes, and penalties, to prevent such occurrences in the future.
