Rory McIlroy is back in Memphis.
The back-to-back Masters champion skipped the FedEx St. Jude Championship in 2025 but is back for the 2026 edition that begins on Aug. 13. McIlroy is 12th in the FedExCup standings entering the tournament.
McIlroy said he skipped the 2025 tournament to rest ahead of the final two events of the season.
"Yeah, a few different things went into that decision," McIlroy said. "I think having four weeks off going into the last two events of the year was probably going to be a little too much for me in terms of wanting to be competitive. So this is a good week — obviously I want to play well, but it's also a good week to just see where my game is, do a lot of practice, or as much as I can in the heat."
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The PGA Tour is set to undergo massive changes in 2028, when the event in Memphis will lose its premier status.
"It's obviously been a staple on the PGA Tour for a long time, even going back to when we played the week before the U.S. Open when I first started to come here," McIlroy said. "Hopefully, it gets figured out and it's still a part of the schedule in some way."
While there are plenty of questions about the future of the tournament, it'll still be a critical piece of the FedExCup playoffs in 2026 and 2027. The top 50 golfers in the FedExCup standings will advance to the BMW Championship in St. Louis, while the top 30 golfers in the standings after that tournament will advance to the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
The top players in the standings are all in Memphis this week. McIlroy will tee off at 9:20 a.m. ET in the first round on Aug. 13 alongside Scottie Scheffler.
"I think it's important to be here," McIlroy said. "It's the Tour's playoffs, and I think it's important for all the players to be here. I've had some good conversations with (PGA Tour CEO) Brian Rolapp over the last couple weeks. Yeah, I think it's important for me to be here and show support and looking forward to teeing it up."
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why did Rory McIlroy come back to Memphis PGA Tour event this year?
