When Rory McIlroy was paired with Scottie Scheffler at the FedEx St Jude, we hoped for a clash of the titans between the two best players on the planet.
Instead, the contrast between the two players couldn’t have been starker. Scheffler stormed into the lead of the tournament on Friday, shooting a course record-tying 61. The world number one looked back to his brilliant best.
Meanwhile, McIlroy, who hasn’t played since The Open Championship, showed obvious signs of rust. He’s well out of contention after shooting four-over par through two rounds, 15 shots back of Scheffler.
While seeing Scheffler firing on all cylinders is great for golf, what McIlroy did while paired with him is terrible news for the PGA Tour.
Rory McIlroy’s FedEx St Jude performance is bad news for the PGA Tour
McIlroy has barely played on the PGA Tour after his Masters win. Including this week he’s played in seven events after leaving Augusta National: three major championships, three PGA Tour events, and a co-sanctioned event between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.
He’s made it clear to everyone that his sole focus is now winning major championships. PGA Tour events don’t motivate him any longer. And he even had to be convinced to play in the opening round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
McIlroy planned to skip the FedEx St Jude as he has in years past, but PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp spoke to the Masters champion to encourage him to play. The message to McIlroy was that all our best players should show up for the postseason.
In fairness to the Northern Irishman, he listened and showed up. But he’s looked like an unmotivated figure throughout the event, and his play has suffered from it.
And if he wasn’t keen on the idea of playing in Memphis before, losing by 15 strokes over two days to Scheffler won’t exactly help his motivation.
The PGA Tour needed a good showing from McIlroy to justify his presence in the tournament. Instead, it looks like he’d rather be anywhere else.