Rory McIlroy given green light to ‘do what he wants’ after PGA Tour controversy
Rory McIlroy has been given the green light to “do whatever he wants” following his controversial choice to sit out the opening round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He has taken an opposite decision to Scottie Scheffler with $3.6 million at stake.
Following Cam Young’s victory at the Wyndham Classic, the PGA Tour kicked off the FedEx Cup Playoffs with the St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind – but McIlroy chose to give the event a miss. The golfer hasn’t competed since achieving a tied-seventh placement at the Open Championship last month.
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McIlroy’s choice to stay away from competition caught many off guard, even though he had hinted at this possibility a year earlier. He stands as the sole qualified player to bypass the inaugural playoff event, passing up the chance to compete in a tournament boasting a $20 million prize pool. However, he recently banked $10 million without even swinging a club.
Although Player Director Peter Malnati confessed he felt “very concerned” about McIlroy’s choice, fellow player Lucas Glover sees no problem with the decision. The former major champion believes the 36 year old has every right to make his own calls and must prioritize his personal interests.
“He can do whatever he wants and nobody can really say anything,” the 2009 U.S. Open winner stated during his SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio program. “Is it unfortunate for the tour? Yes. Is it unfortunate for the tournament? Yes.”, reports the Mirror US.
“Is it unfortunate for the sponsors? Yes, but Rory has got to do what’s best for Rory. Rory has played a lot of golf, and he’s going to play a lot of golf after this, I understand that.
“Do I wish he was here? Sure. I know the tournament does, the sponsors do, the TV does but, with the current setup, they can’t say anything because it’s his choice, and it should be because we are technically independent contractors.
“I do think that now the precedent is set, there is perhaps reason to address this going forward. That being said, I don’t blame him. There is nothing anybody can do, he’s doing what’s best for him right now this year and that’s fine. He has played a ton and he’s going to play a ton later and doesn’t want to be here, so that’s that.”
McIlroy’s choice to bypass the St. Jude Championship might stem from his disappointing showing there last season. The golfer chasing the career Grand Slam started strong with a 68 but then struggled badly, ultimately finishing in a tie for 68th place – nearly dead last.
The Masters winner’s absence from the opening playoff event won’t hurt his shot at capturing a fourth FedEx Cup crown. Sitting in second place in the current rankings, McIlroy has already locked up his spot in the Tour Championship at East Lake, no matter how he performs in Memphis or at the upcoming BMW Championship in Maryland.
Despite a dip in performance, Rory McIlroy’s FedEx Cup ranking only dropped from third to fifth. In a conversation with The Telegraph back in November, McIlroy remarked: “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.”
Looking ahead, McIlroy is set to compete four times over the next six weeks starting from the BMW Championship. He’s then off to New York to don the colors of Team Europe at the Ryder Cup.
Fans can catch McIlroy swinging back into action at the BMW Championship, scheduled at Caves Valley from August 14-17.
Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood is currently topping the leaderboard at the St. Jude Championship, sitting pretty at 10-under partway through the second round.
