Rory McIlroy explains why he chose to play FedEx St. Jude Championship
After skipping the FedEx St. Jude Championship in 2025, Rory McIlroy is set to tee it up in Memphis this week. He explains why.
The 2026 St. Jude Championship, the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs, teed off its first round at the TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. While several contenders made strong starts, others, including Robert MacIntyre, will need to mount a significant comeback during Friday’s Round 2 to keep their playoff hopes alive.
MacIntyre, currently ranked No. 36 in the FedEx Cup standings with 1,191 points, faced a challenging start at TPC Southwind. His opening nine holes were marred by three bogeys and two double bogeys, putting him well behind the leaders early in his campaign.
Despite a rough front nine, MacIntyre seemed to turn his luck around on the back stretch. After a double bogey on the par-4 15th, he responded with a birdie on the 16th, his only under-par hole of the round. A bogey on the 17th quickly erased any momentum, leaving him frustrated as he finished out the day with a double bogey on the 18th hole.
After the first round, MacIntyre finds himself near the bottom of the leaderboard in 64th place, carding a disappointing 12-over-par 82.
With three more rounds to play and only the top 50 advancing to the BMW Championship, he faces an uphill battle to keep his postseason run going.