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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
The world’s number 1 golfer Scotty Scheffler He arrived at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee this week with his newly won Olympic gold medal around his neck.
But as the PGA Tour’s three-event playoff begins Thursday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Scheffler is asked about the trophy that has so far eluded him in a stellar career: the FedEx Cup.
Based on his season-long performance, Scheffler has opened each of the past two Tour Championships at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta at 10 under, at least two shots better than anyone else.
In 2022, Scheffler carded a 3-over 73 in the final round to blow a six-stroke lead and lose. Rory McIlroy by one. Last year, Scheffler started at 10 under and went 1 under over 72 holes. He finished sixth at 11 under, 16 strokes behind the winner. Victor Hovland.
Not surprisingly, Scheffler, a two-time Masters champion, doesn’t particularly like the tour’s playoff format.
„I’ve talked about it for the last few years, and I think it’s funny,” Scheffler said Wednesday during a news conference at TPC Southwind. “You can’t call it a season-long race and come down to one match.
„Supposedly, we go to East Lake and my neck burns, and it doesn’t heal like it did at the Players. I finished 30th in the FedEx Cup because I had to pull out of the last race? Is that really a season-long race? No, what is it?
McIlroy, a record three-time FedEx Cup winner, likes the format because it gives everyone else a chance to catch Scheffler over the next three weeks.
Scheffler has 5,993 points, with six wins, including four of eight signature events that have racked up FedEx Cup points. He has a lead of almost 2,000 points Xander Schauffele (4,057) and twice as many points as McIlroy (2,545).
„I like this format because if it wasn’t in this format, none of us would have a chance against Scotty because he’s so far ahead,” McIlroy said. „So I really like this format.”
McIlroy admits the Tour Championship isn’t the best way to determine the tour’s season-long champion. But he says it’s the best way to make the season-ending tournament interesting for fans.
„I think that makes the Tour Championship more exciting from a consumer standpoint,” McIlroy said. „Is that the best reflection of who the player of the year is? Maybe not. But I don’t think we’re completely fair at this point; we’re just here to have fun and try to wear the best product. Maybe we can.”
Two FedEx Cup playoff events are played before the Tour Championship. Scheffler has played well everywhere over the past three seasons, but his results at TPC Southwind haven’t been great.
Scheffler has no top 10 finishes in six starts. He missed the cut in 2022 and finished 31st at 6-under last season.
„It’s hard for me to remember the last few years,” Scheffler said. „The scores are usually low here, and I don’t shoot that low. Why, some years I don’t hit it well, some years I don’t putt well. Like I said, it feels like it. I grew up on Bermuda Greens, a golf course that suits me.
The top 50 golfers in FedEx Cup points after the FedEx St. Jude Championship will advance to next week’s BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado. It was the first stop on the tour since 2006.
The top 30 golfers after the first two legs of the FedEx Cup playoffs will compete in the Tour Championship, where Scheffler again starts with the lead.
„It’s a fun tournament,” Scheffler said. „I don’t think of it as a season-long race as much as I think it is. But you have to find a way to strike a balance between it being a good TV production and it still being a season long race.
„Now, I don’t know exactly what the ratings are like or anything like that, but I do know that you can’t call it a season-long race when it comes to a stroke-play tournament. It’s the same golf course every year.”