PGA Tour Playoffs: Scheffler seeks a repeat championship and Ryder Cup qualification
The PGA Tour playoffs begin this Thursday with the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. This tournament is the first of three consecutive ones that will define the FedEx Cup champion. Almost the top 70 golfers in the season’s points standings will compete against the world’s number 1, Scottie Scheffler, who will try to become the first back-to-back FedEx Cup winner at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, from August 21 to 24.Scheffler, despite dealing with a hand injury at the beginning of the season, has achieved four victories, including significant wins at the PGA Championship and The Open.“It’s the time of year when everyone wants to be at their best and play their best,” commented Justin Thomas.
Justin Thomas
BMW Championship
Date: August 14th to 17thLocation: Caves Valley Golf Club, Owings Mills, MarylandPurse: $20 million ($3.6 million to the winner)Defending Champion: Keegan Bradley The top 50 golfers in the points standings after the FedEx St. Jude Championship will advance to the second stage of the playoffs and earn spots in each of the eight signature events of 2026. The BMW Championship returns to Caves Valley Golf Club for the first time since 2021. On that occasion, Patrick Cantlay defeated Bryson DeChambeau in a dramatic six-hole sudden-death playoff. Caves Valley Golf Club, located about 20 kilometers northwest of Baltimore, opened its doors in 1991. In recent years, the course installed a SubAir system on its greens and lengthened hole number 1. Seven golfers finished at 20-under or better four years ago; Sungjae Im finished third at 23-under and McIlroy was fourth at 22-under.Tour Championship
Date: August 21st to 24thPlace: East Lake Golf Club, AtlantaPurse: $40 million ($10 million to the winner)Defending Champion: Scottie Scheffler For the first time since 2019, the PGA Tour will abandon its starting strokes format for the Tour Championship, which will be a traditional 72-hole stroke play tournament, where the top 30 golfers will start at par. Last year, Scheffler began the first round at 10 under par, at least two strokes ahead of the rest. He accumulated 20 under par in 72 holes and his total of 30 under par was four strokes better than Collin Morikawa, earning him the FedEx Cup for the first time. Scheffler has already won $18 million for finishing first in the points standings during the regular season and in the top 10 of the Comcast Business Tour. He will win another $5 million for being number 1 in the points standings before the BMW Championship. The winner of the Tour Championship will earn $10 million, regardless of their position in the points standings. Second place takes home $5 million, third $3.7 million, fourth $3.2 million, and fifth $2.75 million. The golfer who finishes in last place at the Tour Championship will receive $355,000.TPC Southwind RenovationsTPC Southwind underwent a significant renovation after last year’s tournament, with 18 new green complexes and renovated tee boxes. There are also new chipping and putting practice areas. Scheffler commented that TPC Southwind did a good job maintaining its essence and not making too many changes during the renovation. “The new greens right now are very firm,” Scheffler said. “I think this is a golf course that’s usually pretty popular on the tour, so I was thankful that they didn’t come in when they renovated and just completely change the golf course. I think they had a really good base for a solid golf course where ball striking is important. You have to hit it well around this place.” Harris English found that shaved edges on the greens of holes 3 and 9 will cause balls to roll into the water if golfers don’t hit their approach shots. The new back tee box on hole 5 forced English to use driver and 3-iron on the par-4 hole. “I feel like the rough is higher than in previous years,” English said. “Even today, hitting some balls in the rough, it’s hard to find them. You have this gnarly Bermuda rough, it’s very difficult to know if it’s going to jump, if it’s going to come out dead.” Golfers will face scorching temperatures of over 32 degrees Celsius for four days in Memphis again.What’s at stake for the Ryder Cup?The U.S. Ryder Cup team captain, Keegan Bradley, is ranked 10th in the FedEx Cup points standings, so he will have a good opportunity to assess who is playing well and who is not during the three stages of the playoffs. The top six golfers in the Ryder Cup point standings after the BMW Championship will automatically qualify for the U.S. team. Bradley will make six captain’s picks after the Tour Championship. Scheffler has already qualified for the U.S. team on points, and Schauffele, the U.S. Open winner, J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley, Bryson DeChambeau, and English are among the top six. Each of those five seems certain to be part of the team, regardless of their position in the points standings. Thomas, who is seventh in Ryder Cup points, also seems to be in good form, although he is not taking any risks.Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa is eighth in points, followed by Ben Griffin, Bradley, Maverick McNealy, and Brian Harman. Cantlay, a Ryder Cup veteran, is 14th in points. Cameron Young, who won for the first time on the circuit at last week’s Wyndham Championship, is 15th, and Sam Burns is 16th. They may need to make some noise in the playoffs to secure a spot. The top six golfers in the European team points standings on August 24 will qualify for the team. McIlroy has already qualified on points, and Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, and Sepp Straka complete the top six. Rasmus Højgaard, Justin Rose, Ludvig Åberg, and Viktor Hovland round out the top 10 and appear to be in good form. LIV Golf League captain Jon Rahm is 21st and will be part of the team, meaning Matt Wallace, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Thomas Detry, and Aaron Rai could be vying for one or two spots.“I want to be in that top six,” Thomas said. “Just for me personally, it would mean a lot to achieve that because having been picked or having to rely on a pick a couple of times, I definitely like the level of little stress and just the feeling of calm, knowing you’re qualified instead of waiting for that phone to ring.”
Justin Thomas
