The PGA Tour play-offs to determine the FedEx Cup champion have proved divisive with those who are competing for the $25million prize. 14: 35, Sun, Aug 18, 2024 | UPDATED: 14: 35, Sun, Aug 18, 2024
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler don’t see eye-to-eye on the PGA Tour format (Image: Getty)
The season finale of the FedEx Cup has PGA Tour stars Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler at odds. Scheffler has been ultra-dominant in 2024, moving well clear as world No. 1 with his six victories.
They see him sitting pretty at the top of the FedEx Cup standings with 5,993 points, nearly 2,000 clear of second seed Xander Schauffele (4,057) and more than double McIlroy’s tally of 2,545. But behind ahead only means Scheffler gets extra strokes on his rivals in the three play-off tournaments.
The top 50 in the standings after this weekend’s St. Jude Championship will progress to next week’s BMW Championship, after which the top 30 will battle it out for the top prize of $25million (£19m) at the Tour Championship. It gives those around him plenty of opportunity to catch up, which doesn’t sit right with him.
“I talked about it the last few years. I think it’s silly,” Scheffler argued. “You can’t call it a season-long race and have it come down to one tournament. Hypothetically, we get to East Lake (host of the Tour Championship) and my neck flares up and it doesn’t heal the way it did at The Players.
“I finish 30th in the FedExCup because I had to withdraw from the last tournament, is that really the season-long race? No. It’s a fun tournament. I don’t really consider it the season-long race like I think the way it’s called. But you’ve got to figure out a way to strike a balance between it being a good TV product and it still being a season-long race.
“Right now, I don’t know exactly how the ratings are or anything like that, but I know for a fact you can’t really quite call it the season-long race when it comes down to one stroke-play tournament on the same golf course each year.”
The FedEx Cup winner will be determined at the Tour Championship (Image: Getty)
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All being well with his health, Scheffler will start the concluding Tour Championship on 10 under, at least two shots better off. But he’s been in that position the last two years and failed to capitalise, losing by one shot to McIlroy in 2022 and then finishing 16 behind 2023 champion Viktor Hovland.
As one might expect, McIlroy takes a differing view to Scheffler. “I love this format because if it wasn’t this format, then none of us would have a chance against Scottie because he’s so far ahead,” he admitted.
“Is it the fairest reflection of who’s been the best player of the year? Probably not. But I think at this point we’re not in for totally fair; we’re in for entertainment and for trying to put on the best product we possibly can.”
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