Veteran journalist calls Rory McIlroy an 'outlier' after he chose to skip the FedEx St. Jude Championship

Rory McIlroy stirred a debate with his decision to skip the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs - the St. Jude Championship. The Northern Irishman is ranked second in the OWGR, and qualified for the tournament that will feature only 70 golfers.

Golf journalist Bob Harig has reacted to this and called McIlroy as an 'outlier'. Harig made his comment while responding to a post from Sam Harrop, who wrote about McIlroy's upcoming schedule claiming that he is going to play in a lot of international venues before the season ends. The post read:

"So while Rory plays in Ireland, England, India, the UAE and Australia between now and the end of the year, most of the field will essentially put their feet up (with some playing the Ryder Cup). I’d suggest this is a loophole that doesn’t need to be closed."

Commenting under this post, Bob Harig explained how a very small number of golfers would want to skip a no cut event which has a prize pool of $20 million, making Rory McIlroy an outlier.

"Rory is an outlier. Very few players will want to skip a $20 million no cut event"

Bob Harig

@BobHarig

Rory is an outlier. Very few players will want to skip a $20 million no cut event

Rory McIlroy's withdrawal has led to the possibility of a rule change to the PGA Tour playoffs.

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After Rory McIlroy's withdrawal, PGA Tour directors could be thinking of a rule change

The 153rd Open - Day Four - Source: Getty

The PGA Tour always gives their golfers the option of whether they want to compete in a tournament or not. Whether it is a golf major or a small tournament, it's always up to them if they want to take part in it. But it looks like there could potentially be a change in the offing. A Player Director for the PGA, Peter Malnati, has claimed that he is very concerned following McIlroy's withdrawal.

According to Golfweek, Malnati claimed that while it is up to golfers to take part in a tournament or not, the FedEx Cup Playoffs are a big deal and maybe a rule change could occur in the future for tournaments like these. Malnati even stated,

"Very concerned....I think there is stuff in the works, and I’ll leave it at that."

Rory McIlroy's next scheduled tournament is the Tour Championship which will take place from August 21 at the East Lake Golf Course.

Meanwhile, the St. Jude Championship will feature several big names, with reigning FedEx Cup Playoffs champion Scottie Scheffler leading the field.