Scheffler Sends a Message in Memphis as FedExCup Playoffs Head to Bellerive

Scottie Scheffler turned the opening round of the FedExCup Playoffs into a runaway. Now the PGA TOUR’s top 50 head to St. Louis with a trip to East Lake on the line.

If there was any question about who enters the heart of the FedExCup Playoffs as the man to beat, Scottie Scheffler answered it emphatically in Memphis.

Scheffler captured the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Sunday at TPC Southwind, finishing at 17-under par and eight shots clear of runner-up Si Woo Kim. The eight-shot margin was the largest in the tournament’s history at TPC Southwind and gave Scheffler his 21st PGA TOUR victory.

And somehow, the final margin does not fully explain how dominant the week felt.

Scheffler opened with a 68 before firing a course-record-tying 61 on Friday, putting himself in control of the tournament. He followed with a 68 on Saturday and closed with a 4-under 66 Sunday for a four-round total of 263.

There was a brief opening for the field early Sunday.

On the par-5 third, Scheffler appeared headed for birdie before his bunker shot caught a sprinkler head, took a wild bounce through the green and ended up in the water. The resulting bogey cut his advantage to one.

It did not stay there long.

Scheffler answered with consecutive birdies at Nos. 5 and 6, stabilized the round and steadily pulled away. By the time the leaders reached the back nine, the tournament had shifted from a potential Sunday showdown to another Scheffler procession.

He finished the week at 17-under, while Kim took second at 9-under. Alex Noren and Sam Burns tied for third at 8-under, with Wyndham Clark and Sungjae Im tied for fifth at 7-under.

For Scheffler, the victory was significant beyond another trophy.

He earned 750 FedExCup points and $3.6 million from the $20 million purse, extending his already substantial lead in the season-long standings. Scheffler now sits No. 1 with 4,873 points, followed by Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young, Si Woo Kim and Wyndham Clark.

In other words, the No. 1 player in the world found another gear at precisely the wrong time for everyone trying to catch him.

The Other Battle in Memphis

While Scheffler removed most of the suspense from the top of the leaderboard, plenty remained around the FedExCup cutoff line.

The St. Jude began with the top 70 players in the standings. Only 50 advanced to this week’s BMW Championship, and the final holes Sunday produced exactly the kind of postseason pressure the format is designed to create.

No player took greater advantage than Sungjae Im.

Im entered Memphis 53rd in the FedExCup standings, outside the BMW Championship field. His tie for fifth was enough to vault him all the way to No. 40, extending his season and keeping alive his opportunity to reach the TOUR Championship.

At the other end of the equation was Keith Mitchell.

Mitchell came to the 18th hole Sunday knowing he needed something special to save his season. After his tee shot found a difficult spot near the water, he stood in the lake and attempted an aggressive recovery with his season essentially on the line.

The ball ultimately found the water again. Mitchell made bogey and finished 51st in the FedExCup standings — one position outside the BMW field.

Jordan Spieth also saw his playoff run end despite a tie for 19th in Memphis, finishing 52nd in the season standings.

That is the cruelty of the FedExCup Playoffs: a solid tournament can still mean the end of a season.

McIlroy Heads to St. Louis Looking for Answers

Perhaps the biggest name heading in the opposite direction from Scheffler is Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy never found his rhythm at TPC Southwind, shooting 8-over for the tournament and finishing 66th in the 68-player field that completed 72 holes. His four rounds were 74, 70, 72 and 72.

His problems were particularly evident off the tee, and McIlroy acknowledged after the tournament that his swing was far from where he wants it heading into the next playoff event.

The good news is that his strong body of work during the season gives him room to recover. McIlroy remains comfortably inside the top 30 entering the BMW Championship.

The bad news?

There is only one tournament left to figure it out before the TOUR Championship.

Next Stop: The BMW Championship

The FedExCup Playoffs now move to Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis for the BMW Championship, August 20–23.

The field has been cut from 70 to the top 50 in the FedExCup standings, and there is no traditional 36-hole cut. Every player in the field has four rounds to make his case for one of the 30 spots available at the TOUR Championship at East Lake the following week.

Another 750 FedExCup points are available to the winner, with a $20 million purse on the line.

Bellerive also gives this week a big-event feel.

The PGA TOUR has not held an event there since the 2008 BMW Championship, won wire-to-wire by Camilo Villegas. The club later hosted the 2018 PGA Championship, meaning plenty of golf fans will immediately recognize the St. Louis layout when coverage begins Thursday.

And Scheffler arrives with another advantage: he is the defending BMW Championship winner, having won the event in 2025.

Five Storylines to Watch at Bellerive

1. Can anybody slow down Scottie Scheffler?
   That becomes the obvious question after Memphis. When Scheffler combines his elite ball-striking with a hot putter, the rest of the field is usually fighting for second place.
2. Is Si Woo Kim ready to make a FedExCup run?
   Kim’s runner-up finish in Memphis moved him to fourth in the standings. Another strong week in St. Louis could make him one of the major stories heading into East Lake.
3. Can Rory McIlroy fix his driver in four days?
   McIlroy does not need to rediscover everything at once, but he needs a significantly cleaner performance off the tee if he wants to arrive in Atlanta believing he can win another FedExCup.
4. Who survives the top-30 bubble?
   The pressure only increases this week. Players around 25th to 40th in the standings will spend Sunday calculating points almost as often as they calculate yardages. One birdie — or one double bogey — can effectively determine whether a season continues.
5. Can the chasing pack make Scheffler feel any pressure?
   Matt Fitzpatrick and Cameron Young remain second and third in the standings, while Kim, Wyndham Clark and Sam Burns are among those positioned behind them. Memphis belonged completely to Scheffler. Bellerive may represent the field’s final opportunity to generate some momentum before the finale.

The Road to East Lake Gets Narrower

The opening playoff event gave us two very different versions of postseason golf.

At the top, Scheffler made winning look almost routine.

Around the cutoff, every shot felt like survival.

That combination now moves to St. Louis.

Fifty players arrive at Bellerive. Only 30 will leave with their season still alive.

And after what Scottie Scheffler just did in Memphis, the rest of the PGA TOUR is not simply chasing a spot at East Lake.

They are chasing him.