Rory McIlroy has officially withdrawn his name from the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship. The golfer is ranked second in the OWGR and hence was easily qualified for the tournament. The top 70 golfers typically compete in the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship, but this year that number has been reduced to 69, which has some PGA Tour directors worried.Peter Malnati, a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, has stated that the circuit was extremely concerned with players leaving playoff events. Malnati also mentioned that in the future, there might be a rule modification regarding golfers' involvement, as in this way, the tournament will be hampered.According to Golf Monthly, Peter Malnati stated:"Very concerned....I think there is stuff in the works, and I’ll leave it at that."Aside from Malnati, Webb Simpson discussed Rory McIlroy's position, noting that the PGA Tour still has a rule that allows golfers to withdraw from any tournament, and that things may change in the future for special tournaments. Simpson explained:"I think it’s too hard of a thing to make guys have to play. We’re still a sport where you can play when you want to play. I knew I couldn’t fall more than one spot, and I thought losing one stroke at East Lake was worth a week of rest because I was toast. I don’t know Rory’s reason, but I totally get it. It’s a hard to thing to fix.”On the other side, Rory McIlroy stated that the reason for his withdrawal from the competition was his 2025 season. He had a tight schedule and did not believe he could do well in this competition.What did Rory McIlroy say about skipping FedEx St. Jude Championship?The 153rd Open - Day Four - Source: GettyIn an interview with The Telegraph, Rory McIlroy made an official announcement about his withdrawal from the FedEx playoff tournament in 2025. The World No. 2 has claimed that he has participated in several tournaments this year, including some that he did not usually take part in. As a result of his rigorous year, he was looking forward to a little holiday.Rory McIlroy also mentioned how he ended second or third last in the FedEx playoffs last year, which he considered to be a humbling experience. He explained:"There’s a few tournaments that I played this year that I don’t usually play and that I might not play next year. Like, I played the Cognizant [Classic] in Palm Beach Gardens, the Texas Open in] San Antonio and the [RBC Heritage in] Hilton Head. And I’ll probably not play the first play-off event in Memphis. I mean, I finished basically dead last there this year [tied for 68 in a 70-man field], and only moved down one spot in the play-off standings.”Rory McIlroy has nine top-ten finishes and three wins in 14 starts this season. He was also the winner of the 2025 Masters, making him the sixth golfer in history to complete a career Grand Slam.