Rory McIlroy headlines field at FedEx St. Jude Championship, opening event of FedExCup Playoffs
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The full 70-man field at the FedEx St. Jude Championship won’t be official until the final putt of the Wyndham Championship drops on Sunday, but news of one of the event’s headliners came early.
Rory McIlroy will play the opening FedExCup Playoffs event at TPC Southwind, officially committing to the event on Friday afternoon. McIlroy has not played since The Open Championship last month and returns to the FedEx St. Jude Championship after missing the event last year.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, defending FedExCup champion Tommy Fleetwood and defending FedEx St. Jude Championship winner Justin Rose are also among the players to publicly commit to the Memphis event. The entire field will be finalized on Sunday, Aug. 10.
McIlroy will enter the Playoffs outside the top 10 of the FedExCup standings for the first time since 2021, though he’s in a strong position to make the TOUR Championship, where the points will reset and the 72-hole winner at East Lake will be named the FedExCup champion. McIlroy is pushing for his fourth FedExCup title, which would expand his record for most in PGA TOUR history.
Rory McIlroy reflects on second green jacket, pivotal moment in 2026 Masters win
McIlroy successfully defended his Masters title in April, claiming his sixth major championship. But as was the case in 2025, McIlroy has not backed up his green jacket with another victory. He finished tied for seventh at the PGA Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open, though those are his only top-10 finishes since Augusta National. He finished T32 at the U.S. Open and T40 at The Open.
McIlroy has strong history at TPC Southwind, with three top-five finishes in eight starts, though it's the only active Playoffs event he has not won. He finished 68th in his last start in 2024.
