World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has won three of the past six FedExCup playoff events on the PGA Tour, and he is absolutely dialed in for his second FedExCup title at the Tour Championship this weekend. This dude is a playoff machine, and everyone knows it.
The Race for Glory (and $10 Million) at East Lake
The main PGA Tour season and the FedExCup playoffs wrap up at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, and it’s going to be a battle. The top 30 players in points are all set to play the 72-hole stroke play event, a format they switched back to last year. We are talking about serious cash and bragging rights here: the tournament and FedExCup winner takes home a cool $10 million and a five-year PGA Tour exemption. Talk about high stakes!
Last Sunday at the BMW Championship in St. Louis, three guys made incredible jumps into that top 30. Gary Woodland shot up from No. 31 to No. 18, making his first appearance in this event since 2019. Patrick Cantlay, who actually won the Tour Championship back in 2021, moved from No. 43 to No. 19. And Robert MacIyntre punched his ticket, climbing from No. 36 to No. 25. Of course, that means three unlucky fellas are out: Kurt Kitayama, Rickie Fowler, and Bud Cauley will miss the big show. We’re also seeing six debutants this year: Ryan Gerard, Min Woo Lee, Alex Smalley, Ryan Fox, and rookies Kristoffer Reitan and Alex Fitzpatrick. It’s a fresh field, but everyone’s chasing that big prize.
Scheffler’s Streak and Fleetwood’s History
Here’s a wild stat: almost impossibly, no player has ever repeated as champion in this event. England’s Tommy Fleetwood took home the trophy last year, finishing at 18-under 262 for his first, and still only, PGA Tour win. He joined Chad Campbell (2003) as the only guys to make the Tour Championship their inaugural Tour victory. Fleetwood was also only the fourth golfer ever to finish top-four in every playoff event in a single season, and his incredible 66.4 scoring average last year was the fourth-lowest in FedExCup playoffs history. The man is a legend, but the odds for him to go back-to-back are +1850, and he’s just one of seven past Tour Championship winners in this field.
But let’s be real: Scottie Scheffler is the man to beat. He’s at +340 to win this week, and he could snag PGA Tour Player of the Year for a fifth straight season. He already won the first playoff event in Memphis and was the 2024 champion of this event, which was his lone FedExCup title. That 2024 tournament was the last time players started with a specific score, and Scheffler started in the lead at 10 under, finishing a ridiculous 30 under. He has opened with a 65 or better in three of his last four appearances, so expect him to come out firing. Can anyone really stop this guy from grabbing his second FedExCup? The $10 million is on the line, and Scheffler clearly means business.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply