Rory McIlroy was back on the St. Jude Leaderboard on Thursday, and this time he meant to be there. After skipping the FedEx St. Jude Championship last year, McIlroy entered the 2026 edition and said four weeks off before the final two events of the season would have been too much for him.
The move matters because the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship opens the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs, and McIlroy is one of the sport's biggest names. He said he wanted to show support for the Tour and thought it was important for the players to be here, too.
McIlroy also said he had good conversations with Brian Rolapp over the last couple weeks, a detail that points to more than a simple scheduling choice. His decision came after the last tournament he played, the Open Championship, ended on July 19, and after he had taken four weeks off following the 2025 Open before the BMW Championship and Tour Championship.
That is the part that gives the story its edge. McIlroy was No. 2 in the FedEx Cup rankings to start the playoffs last year and still skipped the FedEx St. Jude Championship, but this year he began the playoffs in 12th and called the opening week a good chance to compete and to see where his game stood. He did not back that up with a fast start. McIlroy shot four-over 74 in Thursday's opening round at TPC Southwind and went to the second round 68th out of 69 players.
The timing leaves the next step clear: the BMW Championship is next, and McIlroy's place there is already all but secure because of where he stands in the FedEx Cup. What remains open is whether the choice to show up here, after a year away, is the kind of signal that lasts beyond one round and one leaderboard.
