Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are set to play alongside each other at the FedEx St. Jude Championship this Thursday, marking their first pairing of the 2026 season. The PGA Tour playoff opener begins Thursday at TPC Southwind in Memphis, with the top 70 players in the FedExCup standings competing in the first of three postseason events.
The reunion comes as both players return to action following their most recent tournaments. McIlroy is currently 12th in the FedExCup standings and last played at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, where he finished tied for 40th. Scheffler, meanwhile, enters the event after finishing runner-up at the 3M Open and is looking to build momentum across the three playoff events.
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy Praised Each Other’s Pace of Play
GettyRory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Scottie Scheffler of the United States
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy’s comments about playing together from last year’s BMW Championship have resurfaced ahead of their reunion at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
After their opening round at the BMW Championship, Scheffler was asked about McIlroy’s pace of play. The world No. 1 praised his playing partner and said, “Yeah, it’s always fun playing with Rory, we draw a nice crowd.”
Scheffler added, “The crowd did a great job of cheering us both on. He’s a great pairing. He plays fast, he plays well and we had a good time out there.”
McIlroy offered similar praise when discussing Scheffler’s pace of play after their pairing at the same tournament.
“I love playing with Scottie. I always have,” McIlroy said. “I like the cadence that he plays the game at. I like his rhythm. He doesn’t really take a ton of time.”
Rory said, “I feel like there’s guys that you like to get paired with, and there’s guys – some guys that you don’t. I’ve always enjoyed playing with Scottie.”
The comments take on added relevance this week because the two players have not played together so far in 2026.
Their last pairing came at the Tour Championship in August 2025, while they were also grouped together at the BMW Championship the week before.
Scheffler got the better of McIlroy at that BMW Championship, winning the tournament at Caves Valley while McIlroy finished tied for 12th.
Rory McIlroy Returns With Playoffs in Focus
McIlroy’s return to the FedEx St. Jude Championship comes after he initially appeared set to skip the event, as he did last year. His decision to play gives him an opportunity to assess his game before the remainder of the FedExCup playoffs.
“I think having four weeks off going into the last two events of the year was probably going to be a little too much for me in terms of wanting to be competitive,” McIlroy said at a press conference.
“So this is a good week – obviously I want to play well, but it’s also a good week to just see where my game is, do a lot of practice, or as much as I can in the heat.”
McIlroy arrives after a difficult run in the majors following his successful defense of the Masters title in April. He finished seventh at the US PGA, tied for 32nd at the US Open and tied for 40th at The Open Championship.
Scheffler is also returning to competition after the 3M Open, where he finished second to Jackson Koivun. Scheffler shot 64-63 over the final two rounds but ended three shots behind Koivun.
The American has recorded five runner-up finishes this season alongside his victory at The American Express. He and Cameron Young in 2022 are the only PGA Tour golfers in the last 40 years to record at least five runner-up finishes in a single season.
McIlroy will now begin the playoffs alongside Scheffler in Memphis before the BMW Championship in St. Louis and the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
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