Rory McIlroy Schedule: Confirmed For St Jude Championship

Rory McIlroy during The Open — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy will return to action at the FedEx St Jude Championship next week, returning to the event he skipped last year.

McIlroy hasn't played since The Open at Royal Birkdale but will tee it up again at TPC Southwind in Memphis in the opening FedEx Cup Playoff event on the PGA Tour.

The Northern Irishman is 12th in the current FedEx Cup standings and with his lighter schedule this year some expected him to again miss the tournament, as he did 12 months ago when he was guaranteed of his place in the Tour Championship.

McIlroy's played in just 11 counting events this year, and even though he's playing in Memphis he'll still fall just short of the PGA Tour minimum 15 that's usually required.

The 37-year-old has already stated though that the PGA Tour has always been aware of his plans, with Brian Rolapp and his executives giving him a pass this year and citing an "extenuating circumstances" clause in the rulebook.

The World No.2 has had an injury this season, and after winning back-to-back Masters titles he's played just once in between each Major while also moving into a new home in Wentworth.

McIlroy will now take aim at a fourth FedEx Cup triumph though after being confirmed in the 70-man field at TPC Southwind - where if nothing else he can shake off any rust ahead of the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis and the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.

Rory McIlroy with the Harry Vardon trophy

We're not quite sure whether McIlroy would've played the St Jude Championship had he been on course to play his PGA Tour minimum events or if the plan would always have been to play all three playoff tournaments.

Another possible reason for McIlroy's lighter year so far could be him always planning to have a busy late summer and autumn, starting with the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

McIlroy will then return to the DP World Tour as he goes in search of a fifth consecutive European No.1 title and eighth overall. He's currently second on the Race To Dubai behind Patrick Reed.

McIlroy will play in the Amgen Irish Open ahead of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth before the closing DP World Tour events in the Middle East take center stage.

He'll also play in the DP World India Championship and the Australian Open, along with the Cathedral Invitational after that, as he continues to build a more global aspect to his schedule.

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Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.