Tour ponders rule alteration due to Rory McIlroy's absence
The PGA Tour is contemplating a rule change that could prevent players from skipping the initial FedEx Cup playoff event and still progressing to later rounds. This rule change is in response to Rory McIlroy's strategic absence from the first leg of the playoffs, the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Currently, the top 70 players qualify for the FedEx St. Jude, and the top 50 then move on to the BMW Championship, with the top 30 advancing to the Tour Championship. McIlroy, ranked No. 2, exploited a loophole by skipping the first event but would still qualify for subsequent playoff events due to his points lead.
Peter Malnati, a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, has expressed concern about this situation. He stated that "there is stuff in the works" to create rules that would discourage or disallow skipping playoff events without the risk of elimination. The proposed rule changes could involve making player participation in each playoff event a requirement for advancing or removing the guarantee of advancement based on season points alone.
This reconsideration follows the 2025 FedEx Cup playoffs changes, including the elimination of the Starting Strokes format at the Tour Championship and a revamped points structure, which inadvertently enabled this loophole. The PGA Tour aims to maintain competitive integrity and fan engagement by having top players compete throughout the entire playoffs rather than allowing strategic absences.
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy has secured his spot in the BMW Championship at Owings Mills, Md., next week. He is the only player in the top 70 of the FedEx Cup points standings who is not at Memphis this week. McIlroy's decision to skip the first round of the FedEx playoffs this week allows him to advance to the BMW Championship.
Notably, McIlroy has won the Tour Championship three times, in 2016, 2019, and 2022. He will also represent Europe at the upcoming Ryder Cup at Farmingdale, N.Y., in September.
As for the current standings, Scottie Scheffler leads the FedEx Cup standings with 4,806 points, while McIlroy is second with 3,444 points. Daniel Berger holds Spot No. 30 in the FedEx Cup points standings with 1,167 points, and Min Woo Lee currently holds Spot No. 50 with 851 points.
It remains unclear if the rule change would include a fine for non-participation or elimination from the remainder of the playoffs. The PGA Tour will continue to discuss these potential changes in the coming weeks.
- India, being a cricket-crazy nation, might contemplate a similar rule change in their domestic cricket leagues, considering the ongoing debate in golf's PGA Tour, aiming to discourage top players from skipping initial playoff events without the risk of elimination.
- With the upcoming Ryder Cup in golf, it would be interesting to witness the impact of potential rule changes in the PGA Tour on the sports landscape, potentially influencing policies in other sports such as India's popular cricket leagues.
