Jordan Spieth gets honest about Rory McIlroy skipping the FedEx St. Jude Championship 2025

Jordan Spieth recently finished playing in the first round of the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship at Memphis. Before that, he had a brief interaction with the media where he opened up about Rory McIlroy skipping the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The Northern Irishman's decision of taking this week off has pulled him right into the spotlight of critics, including PGA Tour Player Director Peter Malnati. Spieth, however, stood behind the reigning Masters champion's decision.

On Tuesday (Aug 5), the 13-time PGA Tour winner said, while talking about McIlroy (quoted by Irish Star):

"You might have one or two guys do that for an event, but I don't think it will become a thing because they are still huge events against the best players in the world."

Jordan Spieth's comment comes at a time when there are already speculations around a new policy being formed that would stop golfers from skipping FedEx Cup Playoffs.

While talking with the press, the PGA Tour pro expressed his opinion on the whole possibility. In his statement, Spieth said:

"I think they're trying to figure out how to make sure you don't skip both of them and ideally neither of them."

Before the FedEx St Jude Championship began, McIlroy was already sitting in second spot of the FedEx Cup Standings. The Northern Irishman bagged a total 3444 points during the FedEx Cup normal season.

Spieth is yet to skip a FedEx Cup Playoff till date. Back in 2015, he clinched the win at the Tour Championship, which earned him the 2015 edition of the prestigious FedEx Cup.

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When Rory McIlroy admitted that he "underestimated" Jordan Spieth

Back in October 2024, the six-time Major champion Rory Mcllroy sat down to have a word with Kyle Porter, where they discussed a lot of topics. During their conversation, the Northern Irishman was listing players who surprised him by never excelling in their career.

However, McIlroy claimed that there's only one name who ended up making it big quite unexpectedly - Jordan Spieth. He admitted that he once underestimated the golfer's abilities (quoted by Golfing Gazette via Normal Sport):

"I remember the first time, I think I told you this, the first time I played with Jordan Spieth, 2013 San Antonio. And I played the first two days with him, and he missed the cut. And I'm like, ‘What is the big deal with this kid? Very average.’ And he comes on and nearly wins the grand slam two years later."

Spieth's rise in the world of pro golf has been truly phenomenal. Back in 2015, he secured a win at the Valspar Championship, followed by a spectacular Masters victory over Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose.

Two months later, he won the 2015 U.S. Open Championship title. In July and September, he won the John Deere Classic and the Tour Championship. In 2016, Spieth won the Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year Award.