The FedEx Cup playoffs are scheduled to kick off this Thursday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. This tournament officially begins the PGA TOUR’s Fall Series into the Tour Championship. There, Scottie Scheffler will try to defend his title and become the first golfer to win back-to-back FedEx Cups. Scheffler, last year’s champion and the top qualifier in the FedEx Cup points standings. He’s hell-bent on holding onto his No. 1 seed heading into the Tour Championship, set for August 21-24 in Atlanta.
Scheffler capped off a dream season with major championship wins at the PGA Championship and The Open. Back earlier in the season, he had to overcome a badly infected hand wound that affected his play. Even though he hasn’t finished first as often as the 2022 champion did a year ago, his four victories this season keep him very much in the conversation. Rory McIlroy is in 2nd on the standings. He has locked up his spot for the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship, where the conditions greatly increase the competition among the top players.
Top Contenders in the FedEx Cup Standings
Just imagine how formidable the top six golfers would be in the FedEx Cup points standings. These last six players are Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, and Shane Lowry. Each of these players has proven their greatness during the regular season, making them dangerous forces as the playoffs get underway.
Cameron Young—who just won his first tour event the Wyndham championship a couple weeks ago—currently ranks 15th. Next is Sam Burns who currently ranks 16th. Patrick Cantlay, yet another accessible veteran of the Ryder Cup and master of consistency, ranks 14th in the factors position. With the playoffs underway, these golfers will look to better their positions. They look to cement their position in the highly profitable Tour Championship.
McIlroy’s swagger is unshakeable even after missing the FedEx St. Jude Championship. While he’s got a lot of good history with multiple top-10s at TPC Southwind, he does admit to the bad form of last season. “I finished, basically, dead last there [last] year, and only moved down one spot in the playoff standings,” he noted. His attention has rightly turned to getting ready for future tournaments, not looking back on what went wrong.
Scottie Scheffler’s Road to Defending His Title
Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 golfer in the world. So he understands having to be on top of their game, especially this late in the season. “It’s the time of year that everybody wants to be obviously peaking and playing their best,” said Justin Thomas, emphasizing the competitive spirit among the top players.
Scheffler had a lot to say about the condition of TPC Southwind in advance of the championship too. “The new greens right now are really firm,” he observed. He’s thankful that the recent renovations made to the course have brought it into the modern age, but not at the sacrifice of its character. “I think this is a golf course that’s typically been pretty popular on tour, so I appreciated they didn’t come in when they renovated it and just completely changed the golf course,” he added.
Today, the Tour Championship is played for a mind-blowing $10 million winner’s purse. Just like Scheffler and his competitors understand that every shot counts for real during their playoff stretch. The stakes are great. Each golfer will be under the microscope as they play for history and riches.
Upcoming Challenges in the Playoff Series
The FedEx St. Jude Championship played at TPC Southwind will be an actual championship with the top 70 golfers. These athletes qualified by virtue of the season-long FedEx Cup points standings. This championship leads to an exciting and competitive environment, as players try to position themselves heading into future championships.
Thomas said he was just as hellbent on finding his way back into that elite six golfer contingent heading into the playoffs. I’ve got something against being number seven I guess, I want to be in that top six,” he said. He remains focused on the numerous tournaments ahead: “I have a lot of golf tournaments and a lot of big events between now and then.”
As these golfers prepare for a challenging playoff series that will test their skills and mental fortitude, fans can expect thrilling performances and dramatic moments on the course. With each match carrying huge weight for Ryder Cup picks. These matches will determine how players stand as they head into the culminating events of international play — World Cups and Olympic Games.
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