Rory McIlroy left the FedEx St. Jude Championship with his place in the next round of the playoffs secure, but with considerably less confidence in his golf swing.
The World No. 2 finished 66th out of 68 golfers at 8 over par after closing with a 2-over 72 on Sunday at TPC Southwind in Memphis. McIlroy posted rounds of 74, 70, 72 and 72 and never broke par during his first competitive appearance since the Open Championship nearly a month ago.
McIlroy admitted his limited preparation caught up with him as the tournament progressed.
“Almost felt like the more the week went on, the more I felt lost with my golf swing a little bit,” McIlroy said. “… I guess 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.”
There were at least some encouraging signs late Sunday. McIlroy made five birdies over his final 10 holes after a poor start to the round, but that closing stretch also included bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18 and did little to alter his assessment of where his game stands heading into the BMW Championship.
McIlroy particularly struggled from tee to green during the week, with his normally powerful driving among the biggest problems. He said working on mechanics eventually caused him to become too focused on the swing itself rather than the shot he was trying to hit.
He plans to return home and work with swing coach Michael Bannon and caddie Harry Diamond before heading Tuesday to Bellerive Country Club outside St. Louis. McIlroy has played the course competitively once, tying for 50th at the 2018 PGA Championship.
“I’m just so far away from where I need to be to even feel like I have a chance,” McIlroy said. “I’ve just got to keep working and hope it turns around a little bit.”
The poor week dropped McIlroy only one spot to 13th in the FedEx Cup standings, comfortably putting him among the 50 players advancing to the BMW Championship. The field will then be trimmed to 30 for the season-ending Tour Championship.
McIlroy is seeking a record-extending fourth FedEx Cup championship and his first since 2022.
