ATLANTA — Scottie Scheffler has defined earlier than that he doesn’t just like the FedEx Cup Playoff format. Nor does he applaud the handicapped system employed by the Tour Championship.
Perhaps it’s as a result of he has arrived at East Lake for the previous two years as the highest participant, starting at 10-under par and holding a two-shot benefit, however has not sealed the deal. Nor has he obtained the now $25 million that comes with a FedEx Cup title. However Scheffler is the person to beat once more and can begin Thursday’s first spherical at 10-under for the third straight season.
Form of like his beloved Dallas Cowboys, who’ve received the NFC East in two of the previous three seasons however haven’t made it to the NFC Championship sport since 1995.
“It’s just like the Cowboys have had nice common seasons the previous couple of years and left me heartbroken within the playoffs,” Scheffler joked Tuesday.
“However golf is a special sport… When it comes to the season-long race, it’s possibly not all the time going to be the man that performs one of the best the entire season; [whoever wins the FedEx Cup is] going to be the man that performs one of the best in these playoff occasions. That’s actually what you’re figuring out: the man that performs one of the best in these final three occasions.”
Scheffler stays atop the FedEx Cup rankings regardless of his latest T-33 on the BMW Championship at Fort Pines in Colorado. However he deserves to sit down within the prime place due to his six wins and 15 top-10 finishes this season. He has been one of the best participant on the planet since mid-March when he received at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass in back-to-back weeks.
Regardless, the playoffs are completely different.
“Golden State Warriors, finest common season ever, and so they lose within the Finals. It occurs,” Scheffler added, drawing on one other professional sports activities analogy.
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“You take a look at a man like Keegan Bradley, who confirmed up final week, had an ideal week, and received the match, and now, swiftly, he goes from not being in East Lake to having a extremely, actually nice likelihood to win the FedEx Cup. It’s a cool system in that sense. It goes much more in-depth than simply figuring out one of the best participant for your entire season, and in lots of different main sports activities, one of the best staff doesn’t all the time win.”
Bradley went from worst to first, from fiftieth within the standings to successful at Fort Pines. Subsequent yr’s Ryder Cup captain now arrives at East Lake fourth within the rankings, and can start the Tour Championship at 6-under, 4 strokes again of Scheffler.
But, for Scheffler’s sake—and different PGA Tour professionals, for that matter—the FedEx Cup Playoffs don’t come near carrying the burden of the 4 majors. Main championships imply all the things to a participant and their legacy. Simply ask Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
“I don’t know if the FedExCup is the equal of our Tremendous Bowl, however financially, I might say sure,” Scheffler mentioned, referencing this week’s $100 million purse.
“However by way of historical past within the sport, possibly not. You’ll should ask the gamers. However on the finish of the day, I wish to win the golf match we’re taking part in, and proper now, I’ve a two-stroke lead, and that’s fairly cool.”
Nonetheless, Scheffler isn’t a fan of the present format. He even mentioned he appreciated the earlier format, as two winners usually emerged at East Lake: the Tour Champion and the FedEx Cup champion.
However the World No. 1 nonetheless supplied a refreshing perspective, contemplating the followers, in his strategy.
“It offers just a little little bit of volatility, which is sweet for the followers, and I believe it’s additionally good for some gamers that didn’t have their finest years main as much as get into the Playoffs, and swiftly flip a yr that’s not their finest into considerably of a profession yr by way of successful the FedExCup,” Scheffler mentioned.
“Numerous volatility, however on the finish of the day, golf is golf. The simplest method to clear up a difficulty you don’t like in golf is to play higher. That’s actually all it comes all the way down to in our sport. On the finish of the day, when you play adequate golf, it is going to care for itself.”
Profitable all the time takes care of itself, regardless of the game. The noise goes away as championships matter greater than something in skilled sports activities. Simply ask Scheffler about what he did at Augusta Nationwide in 2022 and 2024. Or the Dallas Cowboys within the Nineteen Nineties.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By. Be sure you try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.