Scottie Scheffler Back In Action At FedEx St Jude Championship, But Why Is Rory McIlroy Not Playing?

As the two best golfers in the world, fans want to know whether or not Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will be teeing it up at the St Jude Championship this week in the first FedEx Cup play-off event on the PGA Tour.

World number one Scheffler is back in action at TPC Southwind this week, but the Northern Irishman isn’t. Why exactly is McIlroy not playing this week at the 2025 FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis?

Why Is Rory McIlroy Not Playing At The FedEx St Jude Championship This Week?

Five-time major champion Rory McIlroy has decided to take a third consecutive week off PGA Tour action, much to the surprise of golf fans.

The last we saw of the career Grand Slam winner was of course in his home country of Northern Ireland. McIlroy finished in a tie for seventh on -10 par, seven shots behind Scottie Scheffler at Royal Portrush in the 153rd Open Championship.

With this week’s tournament at TPC Southwind being the first of the FedEx Cup play-offs, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that McIlroy would be teeing it up in Memphis.

However, that isn’t the case. The reigning Masters champion opted for another week off after also missing the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship the past two weeks. But why exactly is McIlroy missing this week’s FedEx Cup play-off event?

An exact reason for McIlroy’s absence is unknown, with people speculating why he has opted to skip this week, despite there being $20m worth of St Jude Championship prize money on offer at TPC Southwind this week.

One reason the 36-year-old might have taken another week of if because he is already guaranteed to make the BMW Championship and Tour Championship in the final two events of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The Northern Irishman may feel an extra week of rest and recovery could give him the best chance of capturing a fourth FedEx Cup come the end of August at the Tour Championship season finale.

Another reason could be that he feels he simply cannot match world number one Scottie Scheffler, who has dominated yet another PGA Tour season this year. This is all mere speculation, with an official reason not given for Rory McIlroy missing this week.

Is Scottie Scheffler Playing At The St Jude Championship?

After two week of rest, Scottie Scheffler, whose net worth recently hit $60m, is back in action for the FedEx St Jude Championship this week on the PGA Tour.

Fresh off the back of his dominant display at the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush, Scheffler took a fortnight off before declaring he will tee it up this week at TPC Southwind for the first FedEx Cup playoff event of the three season finales.

After capturing his fourth major and first Claret Jug, all Scheffler needs to complete the career Grand Slam is the US Open. This heads to Shinnecock Hills in New York next June, and you wouldn’t put it past him winning it either.

Golf betting sites list Scheffler as a pre-tournament favourite in every single event he plays in nowadays, showing that he is one of the most consistent performers and top players in the world week in, week out.

Before the 29-year-old aims to create golfing history, he first attempts to go back-to-back at the season-long FedEx Cup as he bids to win a second successive title at the Tour Championship in a few weeks time.

Scheffler currently leads the standings in the FedEx Cup, and could further assert his dominance with another victory this week in Memphis at the St Jude Championship. If he does, he could get one step closer to retaining his FedEx Cup title and going back-to-back.

Since his dominant Open Championship victory, Scottie Scheffler’s hairline has allegedly been tampered with by one of his sponsors TaylorMade in a recent celebration picture after winning the Claret Jug – but the American has ditched the hairdressers this week in favour of the first FedEx Cup playoff event.

When Is Rory McIlroy Back In Action?

Scottie Scheffler currently leads the way in the FedEx Cup standings by quite some distance. Five-time major champion Rory McIlroy is his closest challenger right now, currently occupying second place.

However, the Northern Irishman won’t be able to make up any ground on the world number one this week due to his absence at the FedEx St Jude Championship.

The reason for his absence could be that mathematically, he has already made it to the BMW Championship next week without even hitting a ball.

The 36-year-old is set to return next week for the BMW Championship after this week’s skip. There is a $20m purse on offer next week, which is the second FedEx Cup playoff event and penultimate of the PGA Tour season before the Tour Championship.

Rest assured McIlroy will feature in both the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship. He still has every chance of catching Scheffler too, despite UK betting apps not giving McIlroy much of a chance of winning a record fourth FedEx Cup title.

Who Is The FedEx St Jude Championship Favourite?

With Rory McIlroy, who boasts £200m net worth, skipping the St Jude Championship this week at TPC Southwind, this leave world number one Scottie Scheffler as the overwhelming favourite to reign in Memphis.

Even if McIlroy was in the field, Scheffler would still be the outright favourite. However, with the Northern Irishman missing from the first FedEx Cup playoff event, Scheffler’s status as favourite has been amplified even more.

Xander Schauffele is Scheffler’s nearest competitor judging by the latest odds, with European trio of Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg also seen as some of the market leaders.

Although four-time major champion Scheffler is a resounding favourite, our FedEx St Jude Championship betting tips have named three players who could beat the 29-year-old to victory at TPC Southwind this week instead.

FedEx St Jude Championship Full Field