McIlroy has had an up-and-down week at Caves Valley, from day-to-day and from hole-to-hole. After a 4-under 66 on Friday, he turned in a rollercoaster round of 71 on Saturday which features four birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey.

While seven-figure payouts are up for grabs among those who finish inside the top three, six-figure sums will be dished out to all of those players who finish inside the top 40. Everyone inside the top 19 will clear $300,000, while everyone inside the top 11 will make more than a half million for a week's work in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Ahead of the St. Jude Championship, Rory McIlroy made headlines when he decided to withdraw from the event. His status already cemented for the BMW Championship, McIlroy opted to take the weekend off to rest up for the penultimate FedEx Cup Playoff event at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings

We have some great intel this week at Caves Valley. Keith Stewart, CEO of Read the Line and a member of our Golf Digest betting panel, travels to all the big PGA Tour events—getting boots-on-the-ground insights into how the players are prepping for the week.

One day before teeing at the BMW Championship, Rory McIlroy addressed the controversy around skipping the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

"I’m in a Different Position": Rory McIlroy Defends Recent PGA Tour Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The BMW Championship begins Thursday at Caves Valley in Owings Mills, Maryland, where the top 50 in the FedExCup standings will play for 30 Tour Championship spots.

"It can't be said that this was a bad round for him, but it is clear that a golfer of his quality can do much more.."

Rory McIlroy makes his 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs debut this week at the BMW Championship -- a week later than everyone else in the field. The world No. 2 returns for his first competitive outing since The Open (hosted in his home country of Northern Ireland), playing in the United States for the first time in two months.