Rory McIlroy’s name misspelled on caddie’s bib at FedEx St Jude Championship
Rory McIlroy’s miserable FedEx St Jude Championship took another unfortunate turn after his name was spelled incorrectly on his caddie’s bib, reports BritPanorama.
The Northern Irishman has struggled during his return to competitive golf at TPC Southwind, positioned towards the bottom of the leaderboard after two rounds in Memphis. On Friday, caddie Harry Diamond was spotted wearing a bib with “MCLLROY” printed on it, an error that typified the difficulties McIlroy faced as he attempted to regain form alongside world No 1 Scottie Scheffler.
This incident marked the second occurrence of the spelling mistake, as Diamond had also worn the same erroneous bib during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February 2024. The latest slip-up came at a time when McIlroy was hoping for an improvement in performance, having started his FedEx Cup play-off campaign with a disappointing round of 74, followed by a slightly better score of 70.
Despite showing some signs of progress in his second round, back-to-back bogeys at the final two holes halted any momentum he had built. As a result, McIlroy now sits four over for the tournament, tied for 60th place as he heads into the weekend.
The departure of Robert MacIntyre due to injury reduced the field to 68 players, leaving McIlroy worryingly close to the bottom of the leaderboard. There is no 36-hole cut in FedEx Cup play-off events, however, allowing him the chance to recover over the concluding rounds.
His current struggles have been sharply highlighted by his playing partner Scheffler, who put on an impressive display, shooting a record-equalling nine-under 61 on Friday. Scheffler now leads the tournament at 11 under overall, with a three-shot advantage over Viktor Hovland and Sungjae Im, both tied for second, while McIlroy finds himself 15 shots adrift.
McIlroy arrived in Memphis after a three-week break from competitive golf, during which he enjoyed time with family and friends in Ibiza and Greece following The Open at Royal Birkdale. As he seeks to improve his standings, he remains well-placed to qualify for next week’s BMW Championship but must first aim for significant gains in the upcoming rounds, with only 30 players advancing to the season-ending Tour Championship.
For McIlroy, this week serves as a striking reminder of the unpredictability of golf, where little details can amplify the pressures and expectations faced by even the most experienced players.
