The first of three FedEx Cup playoff events next week will be staged without reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy, who at times over the past year has hinted he would cut back on his schedule.McIlroy,

In the scheme of things, Rory McIlroy didn’t need to play in next week’s opening FedEx Cup playoff event on the PGA Tour, the FedEx St. Jude Championship. In fact, he’s proving how little he needs to play in a lot of the tour’s big-money events.

Though the FedEx Cup Playoffs begin next week in Memphis, Tennessee, the No. 2 golfer in the world will not be part of the field. Rory McIlroy's name was absent Friday from the 69-man list of competitors for the 2025 St. Jude Championship released by the PGA Tour.