Rory McIlroy has been the most talked about player this season. Although he has been a regular on the PGA Tour for years, he has been the subject of more controversy than ever before. The latest move has sparked just as much controversy as the previous ones: McIlroy has decided not to play in the FedEx St. Jude Championship this week at TPC Southwind. 

The veteran golfer will likely not play in the BMW Championship, but he will still have a chance to win the Tour Championship. 

Golf insiders have been vocal about Rory's decision, including Dan Rapaport. 

He believes the Northern Irishman made the right decision, taking advantage of the rules that already exist. 

McIlroy is not a golfer who needs money; he would rather rest and prepare for the final tournament in style.

“I completely understand from Rory McIlroy’s perspective why he doesn’t want to play this week. He’s not going to drop any spots. With the new FedEx Cup format and Tour Championship format, all you’ve got to do is get to East Lake and then it completely wipes clean. If he knows he’s going to make it, the money that he’s sacrificing or the couple of spots he’s going to drop because there’s another pay out for the standings after the BMW Championship – which I suspect Scottie Scheffler will win I think it’s another $5 million, so Scottie’s going to be very well compensated for his fantastic play – it’s just not worth it to Rory,” he said, as quoted by The Golfing Gazette.

Rory McIlroy put the focus on himself

Rapaport looked back at the videos from the yacht, where Rory seemed in a good mood, relaxed, wanting to take a break from all the noise and chaos. Rapaport stresses that Memphis is certainly not a place where Rory previously excelled, so his decision makes sense from that perspective as well. 

Dan ultimately believes that McIlroy is no longer a golfer who wants to meet and please others' expectations; he prefers to focus on himself and have clear goals.