NFL
By: Maya-Reyes Brooks
Sometimes golf makes its best players wait, and Scottie Scheffler waited long enough. At the FedEx St. Jude Championship the worlds number one made a statement with a win by 7 strokes as well as the largest win in TPC Southwinds history. If you needed a reminder of why he’s been the sport’s steadiest hand for two years, Memphis just gave you one.
The Numbers, For My Stat Heads
Scheffler opened with a 61 on Friday that tied the course record, then just never gave anyone a window. Final round 66. Si Woo Kim finished second, eight shots back, and even he admitted there wasn’t much to be done about it. This was Scheffler’s second win of 2026, his first since The American Express back in January, and career win No. 21. He’d played TPC Southwind more than any course on Tour without winning there. Not anymore.
New to the Tour? Here’s the Translation
Think of the FedEx Cup Playoffs like a three-round tournament bracket, except the “rounds” are entire tournaments and the field shrinks each time. Round one was St. Jude, 70 players down to 50. Next up is the BMW Championship, 50 down to the final 30. Then everybody’s season comes down to one event at East Lake. Scheffler just won round one by a mile, and that matters a lot heading into what’s left. Who can shake off the weekend and lock in for St Louis?
Where the Standings Actually Sit
Scheffler’s 750 points from the win didn’t just extend his lead, it exploded it. He’s now over 1,000 points clear of Matt Fitzpatrick in second, with Cameron Young also holding down the top three. That’s the kind of cushion that basically guarantees him a spot at East Lake no matter what happens in St. Louis.
The real story below him was who didn’t survive Memphis. Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Shane Lowry, and Brian Harman all missed the top 50 cut, their seasons over. Meanwhile Sungjae Im put together the week’s best sneak-in, jumping 13 spots into the field off a top-five finish. That’s the playoffs in a sentence: some guys separate, some guys get sent home, and there’s always one guy nobody saw coming.
Setting the Stage for St. Louis
The BMW Championship is next, and Scheffler’s the defending champ there too, so he’s not just the favorite on points, he’s the favorite on the course. But the players on the bubble are the ones I’ll actually be watching. Rickie Fowler is sitting right around the cutline, and names like Justin Thomas and Aaron Rai need a real week to keep their season alive.
One more thing for the die-hards: the Tour Championship format changed this year. No more staggered scoring head start for the points leader, it’s straight 72-hole stroke play at East Lake. Scheffler’s lead buys him a ticket in the door. It buys him nothing once he tees it up.
Maya will see you at the turn in St. Louis.
