Last year, Justin Rose capped a comeback season with a big playoff win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. This week, the 2013 U.S. Open champion has a chance to defend his St. Jude title from last year. But it may be the final time.
While the FedEx St. Jude has been a FedEx Cup playoff event since 2022, that is about to change in a big way.
Last week, the PGA Tour confirmed to GOLF that the tournament would not be included in the top tier of the overhauled Tour schedule in 2028. That means it will certainly not be a playoff event. Even worse, it might cease being a tournament altogether.
Rose spoke about the unfortunate news in his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday at the final FedEx St. Jude Championship, expressing his hope the tournament could find a way to survive amid the “big shakeup on Tour.”
Justin Rose on FedEx St. Jude leaving Tour’s top tier: ‘There’s obviously a lot of competition’
Starting in 2028, the PGA Tour will split into two. The best players will compete in the Championship Series, featuring about 24 events, including the majors and playoffs.
Players who don’t qualify for the top tier will go to battle on the Challenger Series, featuring a similar number of events with less-accomplished pros fighting for far less prize money.
Over the past few weeks, the Tour has slowly begun announcing which tournaments will make the Championship Series cut.
The Travelers Championship became the first event to officially join the top tier for 2028. The Cadillac Championship at Doral, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Sentry at Torrey Pines and a brand-new event sponsored by Sompo have also made the cut.
On the other side of the coin, the Tour confirmed the Rocket Classic and the Tour’s two Hawaii events will not be a part of the Championship Series.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship joined the second group last week, as first reported by Memphis Commercial Appeal. The de-listing of the FedEx St. Jude is by far the most surprising given its status as a long-running playoff event.
Rose attributed the loss of the FedEx St. Jude in part to the fierce “competition” among tournaments to be included in the Championship Series.
“Yeah, I’m coming to this news a little bit late. I feel like I’ve been on vacation mode. It’s obviously a big shakeup on Tour,” Rose said of the news on Tuesday. “We don’t really know how that’s going to feel in reality. There’s obviously a lot of competition for the Champions Series and the Challenger Series.”
Further complicating matters is the fact that the Tour’s deal with FedEx, which sponsors the St. Jude event and the playoffs themselves, ends in 2027.
Later in his press conference, Rose argued FedEx’s “huge support” of the tournament helped increase the event’s “stature.”
“This venue, this tournament obviously has grown in stature through the years. It used to be played in June around the U.S. Open time. Now it’s obviously part of the FedEx Cup Playoffs,” Rose said. “Given FedEx’s huge support in the game of golf and for the game of golf, I think this tournament has found the stature that it deserves and the stature that FedEx deserves for this tournament as well.”
The 13-time Tour winner added that the tournament’s association with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, including pros’ visits with young patients there, has given the event a “special feel.” He added that it’s one of the PGA Tour host courses he “truly love[s].”
“Obviously the hospital and the kids that you meet this week is so heartwarming, there is definitely something special. It has a special feel,” Rose said. “That’s one of the golf courses I truly love on Tour. It’s one of those courses that the whole membership can play well on. I think East Lake is one and I think TPC Sawgrass is another one where it’s a good venue for a big championship because it doesn’t necessarily limit the amount of players that can win.”
In closing, Rose expressed hope that the tournament could survive in some form and “continue to do great things for the hospital.”
“I’ll always be a huge fan of it,” Rose said. “Hopefully it can continue to have the support from the community and continue to do great things for the hospital. That’s probably the most important thing that the support for the hospital remains and us players can continue to support that endeavor.”
