PGA Tour winner takes bizarre shot at Rory McIlroy

By , News editor and writer. Probably entertainer third.

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Nate Lashley is not happy with Rory McIlroy's decision to skip the first of the three FedEx Cup Playoffs.

He’s not even teeing up this week, and yet Rory McIlroy is the most talked-about player in the PGA Tour ranks…

Rory McIlroy’s decision to skip the opening event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs seems to have rattled a few people.

Notably, it seems, Nate Lashley.

The 42-year-old, who finished 146th in the standings after a season that yielded just one top-25 finish, is clearly not happy that the Masters champ decided to use a loophole in the PGA Tour’s own rules that allowed him to avoid a trip to TPC Southwind this week.

It means German Matti Schmid will play on his own for the opening two rounds in Memphis – and when Micheal Kim pointed this out on X, Lashley was keen to stick his two cents in.

“Does it surprise anyone that Rory skips an elevated and limited field event he tried so hard to create,” the 2019 Rocket Classic champion replied to his fellow PGA Tour pro.

Lashley is, presumably, referring to the now infamous meeting between Tour players and management that led to the formation of the big-money, limited-field Signature Events in a bid to keep the biggest stars being lured to LIV Golf.

But, in the interest of fairness, it is worth pointing out that the FedEx Cup Playoffs are not part of the Signature Event series, and McIlroy had no say in how they are administered.

The likes of Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood have also missed at least one playoff in the past. In the case of Woods and Furyk, they skipped the opening post-season event and still won the season-long title.

McIlroy, who hasn’t played competitively since The Open in his homeland, will return at next week’s BMW Championship at Caves Valley, before the season finale at Tour Championship. Then it’s back to the UK for the Amgen Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship ahead of the Ryder Cup. He will then see out his 2025 schedule in India, the Middle East, and Australia.

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