PGA Tour Playoffs Begin at the FedEx St. Jude Championship
This Thursday marks the start of the exciting PGA Tour playoffs with the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. This tournament is the first of three consecutive ones that will determine the FedEx Cup champion. The competition will bring together almost all of the 70 best golfers in the season’s points ranking, who will seek to dethrone the world number one, Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler will try to become the first player to win the FedEx Cup consecutively at the Tour Championship, to be held in Atlanta from August 21 to 24.Despite a hand injury at the beginning of the season, Scheffler has achieved four victories, including wins in major championships such as the PGA Championship and The Open.It’s the time of year when everyone wants to be in their best shape and play their best.
Justin Thomas
Location: TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee
Prize: $20 million ($3.6 million for the winner)Defending Champion: Hideki Matsuyama The top 70 golfers in the FedEx Cup points standings will meet at TPC Southwind for the first phase of the playoffs, with the exception of the Masters champion, Rory McIlroy, who will not participate in the tournament. McIlroy, who comfortably holds second place in the standings, has already secured his participation in the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship. McIlroy mentioned that he would probably skip the first playoff event to reduce his schedule.The urgency is greater for golfers who are on the edge of the top 50, such as two-time major winner Xander Schauffele, and Tony Finau, who have reached the Tour Championship for eight consecutive seasons, the longest streaks on the circuit. Schauffele, who struggled with a rib injury early in the season, is ranked number 42 in the points standings, while Finau is number 60. Finau needs at least a tie for 20th to enter the top 50. Rickie Fowler (64th) needs at least a tie for 17th. Other golfers in the bubble to qualify for the BMW Championship include Harry Hall (#44), Akshay Bhatia (#45), Si Woo Kim (#46), Jake Knapp (#47), Jordan Spieth (#48), Wyndham Clark (#49), Min Woo Lee (#50), J.T. Poston (#51), Kurt Kitayama (#52), Bud Cauley (#53), Joe Highsmith (#54), and Aaron Rai (#55). Gary Woodland (No. 72), Adam Scott (No. 90), Tom Kim (No. 94), Max Homa (No. 111), and Sahith Theegala (No. 146) were some of the most prominent names who missed the playoffs.I finished, basically, in last place there last year, and I only moved up one spot in the playoff standings.
Rory McIlroy
BMW Championship
Dates: August 14-17
Location: Caves Valley Golf Club, Owings Mills, MarylandPrize: $20 million ($3.6 million for 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 phase of the playoffs and earn spots in each of the eight signature events in 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. Cantlay made a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole in regulation to finish 27-under par and force the playoff; DeChambeau missed a 12-foot putt that would have given him the victory. In the sixth playoff hole, Cantlay holed an 18-foot birdie putt to win and move up to number 1 in the FedEx Cup points standings. He also secured the sixth and final automatic spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Caves Valley Golf Club, which is located about 20 miles northwest of Baltimore, opened its doors in 1991. It hosted the 2002 U.S. Senior Open and the 2007 Palmer Cup. The course installed a SubAir system on its greens in recent years and lengthened hole number 1. Seven golfers finished 20-under or better four years ago; Sungjae Im finished third with 23-under and McIlroy was fourth with 22-under.Tour Championship
Dates: August 21-24Location: East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta
Prize: $40 million ($10 million for the winner)Defending Champion: Scottie Scheffler For the first time since 2019, the PGA Tour will abandon its staggered-start format for the Tour Championship, which will be a traditional 72-hole stroke play tournament, with the top 30 golfers all starting at par. The winner of the Tour Championship will earn $10 million, regardless of the golfer’s position in the points standings. The runner-up earns $5 million, third place receives $3.7 million, fourth takes home $3.2 million, and fifth walks away with $2.75 million. The last-place golfer in the Tour Championship collects $355,000.Renovations at TPC SouthwindTPC Southwind underwent a massive renovation after last year’s tournament, with 18 new green complexes and tee boxes being resurfaced. There are also new chipping and putting practice areas. Scheffler said TPC Southwind did a good job of maintaining its DNA and not making too many changes during the renovation.Golfers will once again face sweltering temperatures in the 90 degrees Fahrenheit for four days in Memphis.What’s at stake for the Ryder Cup?The U.S. Ryder Cup team captain, Keegan Bradley, is tenth 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 phases of the playoffs. The top six golfers in the Ryder Cup point standings after the BMW Championship will automatically make the United States team. Bradley will make six captain’s picks after the Tour Championship. Scheffler has already qualified for the US team by points, and Schauffele, the US 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 where they finish 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.The new greens right now are very firm. I think this is a golf course that has generally been quite popular on the circuit, so I appreciated that they didn’t come in when they renovated it and just completely changed the golf course. I think they had a really good base for a solid golf course where it’s important to hit the ball well. You have to hit it well at this place.
Scottie Scheffler
