Scheffler Opens FedEx Cup Chase as Postseason Starts in Memphis
Scottie Scheffler enters the $20 million FedEx St. Jude Championship as the No. 1 seed, kicking off a three-event PGA Tour postseason that ends at East Lake.
The PGA Tour postseason begins this week with the $20 million FedEx St. Jude Championship, a 69-man field where the stakes vary widely depending on where players sit in the FedEx Cup standings.
Scottie Scheffler enters as the No. 1 seed, though his shot at a second FedEx Cup title will ultimately come down to his performance at East Lake in the season-ending Tour Championship. "I have three tournaments, three good starts to kind of end the year. Definitely excited to get this week going," Scheffler said. He has played host course TPC Southwind seven times without a win.
For players outside the top 50 — including Jordan Spieth at No. 54 and recent pro Jackson Koivun at No. 70 — the urgency is much higher. Their season ends unless they crack the top 50 and advance to the BMW Championship in St. Louis.
Rory McIlroy, at No. 12, is already locked into the Tour Championship but chose to play this week after skipping it last year. "This is a good week... it's also a good week to just see where my game is, do a lot of practice," McIlroy said, noting he'll fall short of the tour's 15-tournament membership minimum but has exceptions through his European Tour status and 30 career wins.
No player has dominated the season. Cameron Young won The Players Championship, Ryan Fox captured a dramatic British Open, McIlroy won the Masters, Wyndham Clark took the U.S. Open, and Aaron Rai won the PGA Championship. Matt Fitzpatrick and Chris Gotterup each have three wins this year. Scheffler has just one win but five runner-up finishes and top-4 showings in all but one major.
"If you value winning the biggest tournaments, you would say it could be Cameron Young and Wyndham Clark," McIlroy said. "Scottie's had an unbelievably consistent year without the wins that he's had the last couple years... it all depends on what you value."
Play begins Thursday in stifling August heat at TPC Southwind. The top 50 finishers this week secure spots in next season's signature events and keep alive hopes of reaching the Tour Championship, where the FedEx Cup winner is decided.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
