Rory McIlroy disagrees with Jon Rahm on divisive PGA Tour topic as LIV star’s stance clear
**Rory McIlroy Defends PGA Tour Format Ahead of St. Jude Championship** Rory McIlroy has come out in support of the PGA Tour format as the FedEx Cup playoffs approach, countering criticism from some of his peers. The FedEx Cup is a season-long competition aimed at identifying the best golfer on the PGA Tour. Throughout the…
**Rory McIlroy Defends PGA Tour Format Ahead of St. Jude Championship**
Rory McIlroy has come out in support of the PGA Tour format as the FedEx Cup playoffs approach, countering criticism from some of his peers.
The FedEx Cup is a season-long competition aimed at identifying the best golfer on the PGA Tour. Throughout the year, players earn points based on their performance in various events. By the time August rolls around, the top 70 players advance to the first playoff event, the St. Jude Championship, which kicks off on Thursday.
As the playoffs progress, the field narrows. Only 50 golfers move on to the BMW Championship, with each playoff event’s winner earning 2,000 points—four times the points available in a standard PGA event. The culmination of the season is the PGA Tour Championship, where the top 30 golfers compete under a staggered-stroke system. This system gives the FedEx Cup leader a head start at 10-under-par, two strokes ahead of the second-place golfer.
This format is designed to keep the competition tight, ensuring that no golfer can claim the FedEx Cup title before the Tour Championship even begins. The eventual FedEx Cup champion walks away with a hefty £19.4 million ($25 million) prize. Despite its design, the format has its critics, including LIV Golf star Jon Rahm, who has labeled it unfair. However, McIlroy, who has won the FedEx Cup three times, argues that the format enhances the season’s finale.
“I love this format because if it wasn’t this format, then none of us would have a chance against Scottie [Scheffler] because he’s so far ahead,” McIlroy said before the St. Jude Championship. “He’s so far ahead, and you don’t expect Scottie to finish outside the top five, either. By the way – I think it makes the Tour Championship more exciting from a consumer standpoint.”
While McIlroy acknowledges that the format may not perfectly reflect the year’s best player, he believes its primary purpose is entertainment. “Is it the fairest reflection of who’s been the best player of the year? Probably not. But I think at this point we’re not in for totally fair, we’re in for entertainment and for trying to put on the best product we possibly can,” he admitted. McIlroy also pointed out that the staggered-stroke system has benefited him, noting his victories in 2019 and 2022 under the current format.
“It sort of feels like it’s a bit of a reset after the regular season,” McIlroy added. “Everyone is not quite on a level playing field, but it feels a little more like that.”
On the other hand, Jon Rahm, a former world No. 1 who has since joined LIV Golf, has been vocal in his criticism of the playoff system. Rahm argued that the format overlooks consistent success throughout the season in favor of creating a more dramatic finish.
“I don’t like it, I don’t think it’s fair,” Rahm said in 2021. “You could win 15 events, including both playoff events, and you have a two-shot lead. I understand it’s for TV purposes and excitement, and just making it more of a winner-take-all, and they give you a two-shot advantage, but over four days that can be gone in two holes.”
Rahm’s move to LIV Golf in December means he no longer has to contend with the FedEx Cup format, but his critique echoes a broader debate within the golfing world about the balance between fair competition and entertainment value.
As the FedEx Cup playoffs commence, McIlroy’s defense of the current system highlights the ongoing discussion about the best way to crown a season-long champion in golf.