Rory McIlroy is guaranteed a place in the season-ending Tour Championship. Still, his performance at the FedEx St. Jude Championship gave him little reason to feel comfortable about what comes next.
McIlroy finished 66th in the 68-player field at TPC Southwind after failing to break par in any of his four rounds. A closing 2-over-par 72 capped a difficult return to competition for the world No. 2, who had not played since last month’s Open Championship.
More concerning than the result was McIlroy’s assessment of his own game.
“Obviously didn’t come in here with a ton of reps. It almost felt like the more the week went on, the more I felt lost with my golf swing a little bit,” McIlroy said.
“The swing wasn’t in sync, and obviously I didn’t do a ton of practice coming in here. I’m so far away from where I need to be even to feel like I have a chance. I’ve just got to keep working and hope it turns around a little bit.”
McIlroy Has Days to Find His Swing
That leaves McIlroy with only a few days to find answers before the BMW Championship at Bellerive in St. Louis, the second of three FedEx Cup playoff events.
His position in the standings removes one immediate concern. Regardless of what happens at Bellerive, McIlroy is assured of advancing to the 30-man Tour Championship. He will be chasing a fourth FedEx Cup title, something no player has previously accomplished, and his first since 2022.
But simply qualifying is not McIlroy’s concern right now. He wants a game that can contend.
“I guess it’s nice to shake the rust off a little bit, but I’m going to have to work pretty hard between now and next Thursday to feel like I have any sort of golf game to compete next week,” he said.
While McIlroy struggled, Scottie Scheffler delivered a very different performance in Memphis. The world No. 1 won by eight shots, collecting his first victory since January. It was Scheffler’s 21st win since the beginning of 2022, 10 more than McIlroy, his nearest rival during that span.
Mitchell and Spieth Suffer Costly Finishes
Further down the standings, the playoff pressure produced brutal finishes for Keith Mitchell and Jordan Spieth.
Mitchell arrived at the 18th knowing his FedEx Cup season was hanging in the balance. After his tee shot left him near the water, he removed his shoes and socks, rolled up his pant legs, and stood calf-deep in the hazard to attempt his next shot.
The gamble did not work. His ball landed short, bounced left, and rolled back into the water. Mitchell made bogey and finished 51st in the standings, missing the top-50 cutoff by just 7.819 points.
“I didn’t look at the leaderboard all day,” Mitchell said, explaining that he did not know exactly where he stood until leaving the 17th green.
Spieth suffered a similarly painful exit.
He made the turn at 2-under for the day and had climbed as high as 45th in the standings. Bogeys at Nos. 11 and 12 knocked him back outside the top 50 before a birdie at 13 revived his chances.
At that point, four closing pars would have been enough to send him to the BMW Championship for the first time since 2023.
Then came the 15th.
Spieth drove into the water and made bogey. He could not recover the lost ground over the final three holes, and his long birdie attempt at 18 stopped short. A final-round 70 left him 52nd in the standings.
“I just didn’t execute enough shots and … a couple bounces could have gone one way or the other,” Spieth said. “I needed to be almost flawless today.”
Brian Harman also fell out of the postseason after a final-round 75 left him 65th in the standings.
McNealy Survives as McIlroy Turns to Bellerive
The beneficiary of all that late trouble was Maverick McNealy.
McNealy entered the tournament sitting exactly 50th and spent Sunday on the bubble. He played the back nine without a bogey, added two birdies, and shot 69 to secure the final qualifying position after Mitchell and Spieth failed to pass him.
“I think the top 50 number is probably the most important number on the PGA Tour right now,” McNealy said.
For McNealy, that number meant another tournament and another opportunity to reach the Tour Championship. For McIlroy, qualification is already settled. His problem is considerably different: after four rounds without breaking par, he now has until Thursday to turn a golf swing he described as “lost” into one capable of competing at Bellerive.
