Is Rory McIlroy playing at the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship?

Rory McIlroy has been one of golf's most dominating figures this year. Heading into the beginning of the 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs, fans wonder if the Northern Irishman will be a part of the FedEx St. Jude Championship this week.

The Ryder Cup star will miss the PGA Tour's postseason opening event. However, this is not McIlroy's first time missing the FedEx Cup Playoffs' opening event. He has done so on two occasions before.

He is the only eligible player in the 70-man field who has opted to sit out of the tournament in Memphis. Following last year's edition of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind, Rory McIlroy stated that he does not see himself taking part in the event in 2025 due to poor performance.

Here's what he had to say back in November 2024 (via The Telegraph):

"I’ll probably not play the first playoff event in Memphis. I mean, I finished basically dead last there this year (tied for 68th in a 70-man field) and only moved down one spot in the playoff standings.”

Having finished second-to-last during the 2024 edition of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, his luck at the tournament was not ideal. Rory McIlroy missed the cut in 2022 and tied for third place in the year prior.

Where does Rory McIlroy rank on the FedEx Cup standings?

The top 50 players on the rankings after this week's FedEx St. Jude Championship will make it through to the second stage of the Playoffs. Rory McIlroy has already secured a spot for the 2025 BMW Championship.

The 2025 BMW Championship will be played from August 14 to 17 at the iconic Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland. The current Masters Tournament champion is in second place on the FedEx Cup's rankings. With 3,444 points, he trails World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, who has 4,806 points.

However, according to the PGA Tour's projected standings as of August 6, McIlroy's projected finish is 16th, which also secures him a spot in the 2025 TOUR Championship.

The father of one has his eyes set on becoming a four-time FedEx Cup champion. McIlroy most recently accomplished the feat in 2022, when he had a crazy six-shot comeback to defeat Scottie Scheffler and Sung-jae Im. He also won in 2019.

He claimed his first FedEx Cup title in 2016 in a thrilling playoff between three players after chasing it for nearly four years. In 2012, McIlroy settled for second place by winning two Playoff events. Two years later, he claimed third place with two Major championship victories.

About the author

Lathika is one of the newer additions to Sportskeeda’s budding golf journalism team and has brought plenty of in-game experience to the role. Having been a golfer for over 12 years now, some of her crowning achievements include winning titles on the Indian Golf Union Ladies tour and Junior Girls Amateur tour.

She currently competes in Division 1 golf in New York, and hopes to play in the U.S. Open and Chevron Championship one day. She is set to cover the 2025 Ryder Cup as well. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management, and holds a Sports Marketing certification from Northwestern University, which helped her learn to draft press releases and ultimately transition into journalism.

Lathika has thus developed a knowledge base that allows her to view golf from both player, spectator and media lenses, enabling her to bring statistics, insights and an understanding of fan emotion together in her copies. She only uses verified information from reliable sources like the PGA TOUR.

Her favorite golfers are Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods, both for their playing style as well as their mental strength. Much of her time away from work is spent playing golf, but she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and learning new hobbies or upskilling.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar