Paramus, New Jersey …

It speaks volumes for Rory McIlroy that he should travel to within just less than a 10-minute drive of this week’s Northern Trust host venue even though he’s not teeing-up in the $US 9m event.

McIlroy elected mid last week not to enter the opening event of the FedEx Cup ‘Play-Off’ Series.

Then why was McIlroy teeing-up Monday on the nearby Arcola Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey that according to Google Directions is just 3.3 miles from this week’s Ridgewood Country Club host venue and also within the Paramus region.

The World No. 7 made the effort to travel from West Palm Beach in Florida to compete in a Morgan Hoffman Foundation fund-raiser.

Hoffman, and a fellow PGA Tour pro, has not competed since February as the 29-year old battles muscular dystrophy and with McIlroy clearly delighted to help out.

Morgan Hoffman

“I didn’t know about the struggles Morgan was going through until I read his Players’ Tribune piece last year, and I was just so moved by it,” McIlroy said.

“I thought, here’s a guy that was dealt a pretty bad hand, but he’s trying to make the most of it and trying to help other people with the cause. I reached out straightaway and said what he’s doing is so brave and inspiring, and I wanted to help out in any way I can.”

The New York Post takes up the story ..

Hoffmann, 29, hasn’t stopped striving for his goal of a win on the PGA Tour, and has had some solid years since he came out in 2010 after leaving Oklahoma State and a stellar amateur career. But he hasn’t played on Tour since February, soon after which he left to go to Nepal to seek holistic cures unavailable in the United States.

“My goal is to build a health and wellness center one day down in Florida,” said Hoffmann, who resides mostly in the Jupiter area with McIlroy as a nearby neighbor. “We’re raising money to be a one-stop shop for health and treating muscular dystrophy.”

The outing began Sunday night with a cocktail party, and continued into Monday with two different shotgun starts — one morning, one afternoon. It was also set to go into Monday night with live entertainment along with a silent auction.

The hope was to raise $2 million, and that might have made it a little easier for Hoffmann to deal with not qualifying for a hometown playoff event.

“I didn’t want it to be about myself,” Hoffmann said. “I know with my platform, I can help so many other people.”