Rory McIlroy ended the FedEx St. Jude Championship at 8-over par. He finished very close to the end of the leaderboard.
His performance at Memphis was among his most disappointing in recent times. The result, however, was expected. His putting coach, Brad Faxon, predicted that he was going to perform badly.
McIlroy was out of touch with golf. The long vacation sent him off track and after this event, he will have to strive to get back.
“I’m going to go home. I’ll work with Michael and Harry,” he revealed. “Just try to get the swing into some sort of better sync and better flow. Then go to Bellerive Tuesday and obviously try to prepare for that golf course.”
McIlroy acknowledged how off his game was this week.
“The execution wasn’t there this week,” he added. “I’m going to have to sort of put the head down and grind from now until Thursday to try to feel like I have any sort of chance next week.”
But it wasn’t all bad.
Rory McIlroy Found a Glimmer of Hope on Sunday
GettyRory McIlroy plays his shot from the seventh tee during the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship 2026.
McIlroy kicked things off with a double and then three bogeys in the first six holes. Things looked bad. But then he made five birdies. He bogeyed the 17th and 18th to end the week.
The glimmer was those five birdies. His game was actually working in that span of ten holes.
“I definitely felt like I found a feel out there that might work on the golf course,” McIlroy said. “I hit some better shots coming in for sure. Still a few loose ones as well, but five birdies coming in was definitely there’s some signs of encouragement there.”
Rory McIlroy Added Some Weight During Vacation
GettyRory McIlroy reacts to his shot from the ninth tee during the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship 2026.
McIlroy revealed that he has added a few pounds during the three-week vacation. The six-time major winner has been trying to gain weight to continue hitting those speedy drives, compensating for his back issues.
He spent quite a lot of time in the gym to add those extra muscles, but it seems his fitness was compromised during the break. He reached 180 pounds, adding a few pounds of fat.
For an athlete, a variation in even small amounts of weight hampers their game. The same might have added to the already long list that derailed his game.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Rory McIlroy Announces Change of Plans After Disappointing Performance at St. Jude appeared first on HEAVY.