Rory McIlroy plays tennis after first-round 68 at FedEx St. Jude Championship
Rory McIlroy began his FedExCup Playoffs journey with a solid round of 2-under 68 at TPC Southwind, but his day didn’t end on the golf course. After completing his round, McIlroy headed to a nearby tennis center, where he was photographed alongside Wiley Barron, the son of Champions Tour major winner Doug Barron. The moment…
Rory McIlroy began his FedExCup Playoffs journey with a solid round of 2-under 68 at TPC Southwind, but his day didn’t end on the golf course. After completing his round, McIlroy headed to a nearby tennis center, where he was photographed alongside Wiley Barron, the son of Champions Tour major winner Doug Barron. The moment was shared by the PGA TOUR Champions on their social media channels.
During his opening round at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, McIlroy showcased his skill with a round that featured an eagle and two bogeys. He finished strong with two birdies in his final three holes, leaving him four strokes behind the early leader, Chris Kirk, who posted a 64. McIlroy, who started the week ranked third in the FedExCup standings, trails only Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele as he sets his sights on a record fourth FedExCup title.
Although McIlroy has already secured three FedExCup titles (in 2016, 2019, and 2022), a victory at TPC Southwind has eluded him. Last year, he came close, finishing in a tie for third place in Memphis, after missing the cut at the same event the previous year. Despite trailing Scheffler by six strokes at the start of the 2022 TOUR Championship, McIlroy rallied to claim the FedExCup title. He faced a similar challenge in 2023, entering the TOUR Championship three strokes behind and finishing fourth in the FedExCup standings.
Perhaps McIlroy’s friendly game of tennis will provide an extra boost as he chases his fourth PGA TOUR season-long title. Earlier this month, while representing Ireland in the men’s Olympic golf competition in Paris, McIlroy took time to attend the tennis events, where he watched a doubles match featuring Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal against Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek. The experience may have left a lasting impression on him.
As McIlroy shifts his focus back to golf, he’ll look to climb the leaderboard in Friday’s second round at TPC Southwind and make a strong push in the FedExCup standings. This season, he’s already won two TOUR events and finished as the runner-up at the U.S. Open, but when asked to assess his 2024 season, McIlroy described it as “pretty good.”
However, McIlroy is determined to elevate his season from “pretty good” to “very good” over the next three weeks, as he has done in past Playoffs. Reflecting on his approach, McIlroy said, “I think when the bulk of the season has come and gone and you’ve got this opportunity of three weeks to … flip the script a little bit or change the narrative and what that season means, I think that’s a motivating factor and part of the reason that I’ve probably played well in the Playoffs for the last three years.
“Obviously, I’ve got three tournaments … to try to turn a pretty good year into a very good year.”