Rory McIlroy got off to a disastrous beginning at the FedExCup Playoffs, posting a four‑over‑par 74 in the opening round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. It was his first competitive round since finishing tied for 40th at The Open at Royal Birkdale almost a month earlier, and the result could not have been more disappointing for a player of his stature.
McIlroy started the round level par through the first fifteen holes, but a string of mis‑hits on the back‑nine quickly unraveled his round. He carded a dropped shot on the 16th and another on the 17th, and then on the final hole, a par‑four at TPC Southwind, he sent his tee shot straight into the water. The penalty forced a double‑bogey that pushed his total to 74, leaving him nine strokes behind the leaders after day one.
Jordan Spieth, who entered the tournament outside the top‑50 in the FedExCup standings, was among a five‑man American contingent that finished the day at five‑under par. Spieth, Michael Thorbjornsen, Kurt Kitayama, Jake Knapp and Michael Kim all shared the top of the leaderboard, with Spieth explaining his approach: "I just tried to come into this week and just be as patient, non‑reactive as possible, dumb it down to try to win the golf tournament and not worry about anything else." England’s Tommy Fleetwood, paired with Spieth, was only one shot off the lead after a brilliant 66 that featured an eagle chip on the par‑five third hole. Fleetwood reflected on his performance, saying, "I feel good. I didn't really play very good in the practice days.
Game's not really been that great. I've been showing a lot, like some good and some really not so good. Hit it great off the tee today.
Still my iron play was iffy, but I did a good job of managing it for the most part. Still hit some really good shots, and you can never underestimate how good – I think shooting under par on this golf course is very good." World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who shared the marquee group with McIlroy for the first two rounds, posted a solid 68 and placed himself comfortably near the top of the field.
Scheffler said, "I felt like I hit a lot of quality shots with my irons. I did a good job of being patient and not trying to force it too much. I feel like I was right on the edge of having a good day, kind of all day is how I would describe it. So, I felt like patience‑wise, I did a pretty good job." European players also featured prominently.
Ludvig Åberg, Viktor Hovland and Sepp Straka were tied with Scheffler at two‑under, while Shane Lowry posted a respectable one‑under round. Matt Fitzpatrick, however, was left frustrated after a closing double‑bogey dropped him back to even par. McIlroy could at least take some solace in not having the worst round of the day; that dubious honor went to Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who carded a 12‑over 82.
Justin Rose also struggled, finishing three over, while fellow Englishmen Aaron Rai and Harry Hall each posted two‑over scores. The Memphis event is the first of three FedExCup Playoff stops. After the final round on Sunday, the top 50 players in the season‑long points race will advance to the BMW Championship, and the top 30 after that will qualify for the season‑ending Tour Championship.
McIlroy currently sits 12th out of 70, comfortably within the safety zone for the next stage, and the absence of a cut means he has ample opportunity to climb the leaderboard over the weekend. Points throughout the season have been awarded based on finishes in regular PGA Tour events, with additional bonuses for signature events and majors.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship marks the entry point for the top 70 players; the next event, the BMW Championship, will trim the field to 50, and the final Tour Championship will feature only the 30 highest point earners.
Winners of the first two playoff tournaments receive 750 points each – the same as The Players Championship and the major championships – before points are reset to zero for the Tour Championship. In the Tour Championship, all qualifiers start at even par, a change implemented in 2025 that eliminated the previous starting‑strokes model based on FedExCup rankings. The overall champion will claim the FedExCup title for 2026, a $10 million prize (approximately £7.4 million) and a five‑year exemption on the PGA Tour.
Live coverage of the FedEx St. Jude Championship continues on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event, with streaming options available without a contract. Golf fans can also explore booking rates for over 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland, though the current search returned no results. The playoff season promises plenty of drama as the world’s elite golfers vie for the coveted FedExCup crown.