Scottie Scheffler is all but certain to win his first FedExCup title, but a poor weekend could ruin it all.
That’s why the reigning Olympic gold medalist (and Masters champion) isn’t a big fan of the PGA Tour’s current playoff format.
“I’ve been talking about this for a few years now, and I think it’s a silly idea,” he says.
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Scottie Scheffler prepares to putt on the first hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Pinehurst Golf Course No. 2. (Jim Dedmon – USA Today Sports)
Scheffler knows very well that a bad performance in one tournament can ruin everything: in both 2022 and 2023, he started the Tour Championship at East Lake at 10 under thanks to his previous performances, but poor final rounds in both tournaments meant he was not named the FedEx Cup champion.
The top 70 golfers will compete in the first round of the playoffs. The top 50 will advance to the second round, followed by the top 30 in the Tour Championship, where the leaderboard will start with a strokes-based system based on everyone’s performance over the season. Scheffler will probably start the tournament with a two-stroke lead at 10 under par, but again, a poor weekend could see him lose out.
“Let’s say I get to East Lake, my neck hurts and it doesn’t heal like it did at The Players. Am I going to finish 30th in the FedEx Cup because I withdrew from the last tournament? Is that really a season-long race? No, that’s the reality.”
Scottie Scheffler of the United States hits a shot from the 12th tee during the final round of the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on May 19, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Ross Kinnard/Getty Images)
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“It’s a fun tournament,” Scheffler said, “and I don’t think of it as a season-long race, but you have to figure out how to balance being a good TV show and being a season-long race. Right now, I don’t know exactly what the ratings are and stuff like that, but when it’s a one-stroke play tournament on the same golf course every year, it’s certainly not a season-long race.”
Three-time FedEx Cup winner Rory McIlroy joked that he likes the format because it’s the only way he can catch Scheffler. McIlroy is nearly 2,000 points ahead of Xander Schauffele (5,993 to 4,057), more than double McIlroy’s 2,545 points.
Scottie Scheffler of the United States walks down the 18th fairway during the final round of the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on May 19, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Ross Kinnard/Getty Images)
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But McIlroy acknowledged that this might not be “the fairest reflection of who the best player was this year.”
“But I don’t think we’re in a completely level playing field at this point. We’re here for entertainment and we’re trying to put on the best possible thing,” McIlroy said.
The playoffs begin Thursday in the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis.
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