PGA Tour star comes to Rory McIlroys defense | Golf News

Rory McIlroy has been given the inexperienced gentle to “do whatever he wants” after his selection to sit out the opening spherical of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Following Cam Young’s triumph at the Wyndham Classic, the PGA Tour kicked off the FedEx Cup Playoffs with the St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind – but McIlroy, who lately said that LIV Golf has handed the PGA Tour a “wake-up call,” selected to give the event a miss.

The golf star hasn’t competed since ending tied-seventh at the Open Championship last month. McIlroy‘s selection to keep away from the course caught many off guard, even though he had hinted at this risk a yr earlier.

He stands as the only participant who earned playoff qualification yet opted to bypass the inaugural event, passing up the possibility to compete in the match boasting a large $20 million prize pool. Although Player Director Peter Malnati confessed he felt “very concerned” about McIlroy’s selection, Lucas Glover sees no drawback with the choice.

The golf professional believes the 36-year-old has every proper to make his own selections and must prioritize his personal pursuits. “He can do whatever he wants and nobody can really say anything,” the 2009 U.S. Open winner acknowledged during his look on his SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio program. “Is it unfortunate for the tour? Yes. Is it unfortunate for the tournament? Yes.

“Is it unlucky for the sponsors? Yes, but Rory has obtained to do what’s best for Rory. Rory has performed a lot of golf, and he is going to play a lot of golf after this, I perceive that.

“Do I wish he was here? Sure. I know the tournament does, the sponsors do, the TV does but, with the current setup, they can’t say anything because it’s his choice, and it should be because we are technically independent contractors.

“I do assume that now the precedent is set, there may be maybe purpose to deal with this going ahead. That being said, I do not blame him. There is nothing anyone can do, he is doing what’s best for him proper now this yr and that’s nice. He has performed a ton and he is going to play a ton later and would not need to be right here, so that’s that.”

McIlroy’s choice to skip the St. Jude Championship might stem from his disappointing showing there last year. The golfer chasing the career Grand Slam started strong with a 68 but then crumbled, ultimately finishing tied-68th – nearly dead last.

The Masters winner’s absence from the opening playoff event won’t hurt his shot at claiming a fourth FedEx Cup crown. Sitting in second place in the current rankings, McIlroy has already secured his spot in the Tour Championship at East Lake, no matter how he performs in Memphis or at the upcoming BMW Championship in Maryland.

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Despite a dip in performance, Rory McIlroy’s FedEx Cup ranking only dropped from third to fifth. In a conversation with The Telegraph back in November, McIlroy remarked: “I’ll in all probability not play the first play-off event in Memphis. I imply, I completed mainly useless last there this yr [tied for 68 in a 70-man field], and only moved down one spot in the play-off standings.”

Looking ahead, McIlroy is slated to compete four times over the course of six weeks starting from the BMW Championship next week, before he heads off to New York to don Team Europe’s colours in the Ryder Cup. Fans can count on to see McIlroy back in motion at the BMW Championship, scheduled to happen at Caves Valley from August 14-17.