Archive of posts tagged Memphis

Scottie Scheffler wants to expand his festival

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BMW

The PGA Tour season enters its final stretch this Thursday. The FedEx St. Jude Championship kicks off, the first of three tournaments that will determine the 2025 FedEx Cup champion.

Three separate events—this week's St. Jude, next week's BMW Championship, and the Tour Championship in two weeks' time—will determine the victory of the tour's annual season. The winner of the Tour Championship will claim the tour title. On the other hand, this PGA Tour playoff is scheduled weeks before the Ryder Cup.

Scottie Scheffler, results

The points for the winners of these tournaments are quadrupled compared to the regular season tournaments, so 2,000 are distributed to the winners in the first two events, before the Tour Championship decides the champion. Furthermore, the various tournaments, which are played without a cut, are eliminatory: of the seventy participants at St. Jude, only the top fifty in the annual rankings will advance to the BMW. After that, the cut will be set at thirty for the final Tour Championship.

The winner of that last tournament will be taken into account to determine the FedEx Cup champion. However, as a novelty this season, the players' starting scores will not be taken into account the annual tour ranking. Everyone will start at par.

Thus, a total of seventy players, the best of the season in the FedEx Cup, have secured a ticket to a FedEx St. Jude tournament to be played at TPC Southwind in Memphis this weekend. All eyes will be on one man: Scottie Scheffler. The American, a strong favorite for the final victory of the season, enters this tournament as the solid leader of the annual rankings and in peak form.

The British Open champion just under three weeks ago, Scheffler returns with all eyes on him. He has won four of his last eight tournaments and hasn't dropped out of the top 10 since The Players in March. A testament to his absolute consistency.

As if that weren't enough, he's seeking his second consecutive FedEx Cup, a feat no one has achieved since the format's launch in 2007. It would be another milestone for a player who continues to shape the future of golf, with two majors (he also won the PGA Championship) and four wins this year, and is poised to be at full strength for the Ryder Cup in a few weeks.

Furthermore, Scheffler (4,806 points in the standings) will not have his greatest rival in the fight for the FedEx Cup, Rory McIlroy (3,444), in the opening tournament, which reaffirms his favoritism for this first tournament. The American and Northern Irishman have a solid grip on the top two spots in the annual rankings heading into the final tournament, a situation that has led a tired McIlroy to save his energy for the next two weeks.

Thus, Scheffler's biggest rivals in the first tournament are Sepp Straka (2,595 points), Russell Henley (2,391), and Justin Thomas (2,280). The world number one is aiming to make the final push to distance all his rivals by more than 2,000 points before the BMW Championship and, with that, lock down that top spot heading into the final event.

Of course, there will be no shortage of other big names. J.J. Spaun, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, and Hideki Matsuyama are, among others, candidates to win this first tournament beyond the annual rankings. Players like Matthew Fitzpatrick, Schauffele, and Jordan Spieth are nearing the top 50 positions that qualify for the BMW Championship, so there's a lot at stake starting this week.

FedEx Cup Playoffs…without Rory McIlroy?

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Atlanta

The Wyndham Championship, Cameron Young's maiden victory, officially closed the PGA Tour regular season.

The Playoffs kick off tomorrow, which, as we've seen, will see the Tour Championship play abandon the much-criticized starting strokes formula and return to pure stroke play.

The top 70 players in the rankings will take to the green at TPC Southwind in Memphis, after which the top 50 will fly to Maryland to play the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club.

Afterward, the top 30 will board the plane again to tee off on the first tee at the now legendary East Lake Golf Club to decide, first and foremost, who will lift the Tour Championship trophy and the FedEx trophy, and, last but not least, who will collect the prize money.

Rory McIlroy, results

And it's precisely the prize pool that has been the subject of further changes by the PGA Tour.

This year's playoffs will distribute $100,000,000, divided by "snapshot" of the ranking at three different points.

The top 10 players in the rankings at the start of the first playoff (i.e., the one that starts today) will split $20 million, with $10 million going to the top-ranked player.

The magnificent thirty players who will take to the field in Atlanta, even before hitting the practice range, will split nearly $23 million, with $5 million going to the ranking leader after the BMW Championship.

The remainder of the prize pool ($57.08 million, to be precise to the penny) is earmarked for the Tour Championship, with a first-place prize of $10,000,000.

The rationale behind this scheme is to rebalance the prize pool distribution among all those who have reached the key moment of the season.

And here's where I want to introduce the most gossipy part of the title.

Rory McIlroy, surprising everyone (primarily Peter Malnati, one of the Tour's player directors, who said he was "very concerned" about the Northern Irishman's decision—Editor's note), has announced his intention not to play in Memphis.

The reigning Masters Champion is currently second in the FedEx rankings with 3,444 points and essentially already has a ticket to East Lake in his pocket, as well as, based on the above, a significant share of the first tranche of the prize money.

Back in November, McIlroy told the Telegraph:

"I probably won't play the playoff in Memphis."

"This year (2024), I basically finished in the bottom 68 (Editor's note: T68) and lost a spot in the playoff rankings."

His confirmed absence deprives the first playoff stop of one of the Tour's stars, and it remains to be seen whether we will see McIlroy in action at the BMW Championship.

Wyndham Championship for Cameron Young

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Alex Noren

Historic success for Cameron Young. The American, thanks to his feat at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, distinguished himself as the thousandth player to win on the PGA Tour. In his 94th appearance on the circuit, and at the age of 28 years, 2 months and 27 days, the professional from Briarcliff Manor (New York) broke a true taboo. A seven-time runner-up on the PGA Tour, he dominated the par-70 Sedgefield Country Club course, beating his compatriot Mac Meissner by six shots with a score of 258 (63 62 65 68, -22). Meissner was second with a 264 (-16), ahead of another American, Mark Hubbard, who was third with a 265 (-15), like Swede Alex Noren. In the final tournament of the regular season, Matteo Manassero made the cut, shooting 76/0 with a 138 (65 73, -2), and leading the way in the first round with a 65 (-5), boosted by an eagle and four birdies, with one bogey.

Wyndham Championship, results

"I've been waiting for this victory for a long time. I never thought I could be this emotional. I gave myself a chance, and this time, I couldn't let it slip away," Young said with satisfaction. In the final and decisive round, after an early bogey, he recorded five consecutive birdies, allowing himself the luxury of two more bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes.

The twelfth player to win for the first time on tour this season, Young is now 16th in the FedEx Cup. From August 7th to 10th in Memphis, Tennessee, he will be among the top 70 players competing in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three playoff events. From 44th to 21st in the world ranking, his victory in the Wyndham Championship earned him $1,476,000 out of a total prize pool of $8,200,000.

The Rules of Golf are a set of standards and procedures by which the sport of golf should be played. They are jointly written and administered by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the governing body of golf worldwide, except in the United States and Mexico, which are governed by the United States Golf Association. An expert committee composed of members of the R&A and the USGA oversees and refines the rules every four years. The latest revision took effect on January 1, 2016. Amendments to the Rules of Golf generally fall into two main categories: those that improve understanding and those that reduce penalties in certain cases to ensure balance. The rulebook, entitled "Rules of Golf," is published regularly and also includes rules governing amateur status. In Italy, the Italian Golf Federation is responsible for overseeing competitions by enforcing the rules issued by the R&A, ensuring that these rules are observed by clubs, associations, and their members, and managing the resulting sporting justice, protecting their interests abroad.

Why Rory McIlroy is sitting out the first FedEx play-off tournament

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Auto & Truck Manufacturers (NEC)

Golf fans have already turned their attention to the FedEx Cup playoffs, which start this week, and the important figure in this competition was supposed to be Rory McIlroy. However, the Northern Irish golfer made a bizarre decision that surprised all golf fans: He will not perform! 

TPC Southwind in Memphis will host the first of three final tournaments, and all eyes are on the winner of this competition. 

The 35-year-old golfer will not compete at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, despite being right behind Scheffler.

His name is not on the list of participants, and fans are already speculating about the reasons behind Rory's decision. However, the rule change allowed players to skip the playoff, without losing their chance for the Tour Championship. 

Rory McIlroy will not start his adventure two strokes behind Scheffler, although the previous system required such a rule. 

The first 30 from the FedEx Cup list after the BMW Championship will qualify for the Tour Championship. Having a big advantage over others, McIlroy is safe. 

There is a chance that McIlroy will play: Will it happen?

On the other hand, there are still real chances that McIlroy will play at the BMW Championship next week; tournament whose prize fund of 15 million pounds arouses public interest. 

Rory McIlroy has won the FedEx Cup before, and the last time it happened was in 2022, when he once again showed all the luxury of talent and quality. 

The winner of the FedEx Cup will take home £7.5 million, while the total bonus pool amounts to £75 million.

There’s no doubt this is a big motivation for all golfers, and all eyes will be on Rory McIlroy to see if the experienced star can lift the trophy once again. 

It will be difficult, but it is clear that the 35-year-old has the qualities to be at the top.

It is not known how motivated he is to triumph in this competition, but time will give the best answer.

PGA Tour, final tournament of regular season

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Adam Scott

It's the final tournament of the PGA Tour regular season, and the stakes are high. The Wyndham Championship will take place from July 31st to August 3rd in Greensboro, North Carolina. Among the 156 competitors, there will also be an Italian: Matteo Manassero. On the Sedgefield Country Club course, the competition will be fierce to qualify for the top 70 of the FedEx Cup, who will compete in the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis from August 7th to 10th, the first of three playoff events. The field includes not only 10 of the world's top 40, but also all the players ranked 60th to 109th in the FedEx Cup. While it's true that 70 players will advance to the first postseason event, it's also true that the top 100 of the FedEx Cup, at the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship, will confirm their full roster for the 2025-2026 season.

Pga Tour, news

Among the competition's most anticipated players is Keegan Bradley. Ranked seventh in the world, the 39-year-old from Woodstock, Vermont, could play the dual role of player-captain for the United States in the 45th Ryder Cup from September 26 to 28 in Farmingdale, New York. This year, Bradley, ranked 10th in the FedEx Cup, has achieved five top-10 finishes in 17 events, including the Travelers Championship. The winner of the tournament will secure not only $1,476,000 (8,200,000 total prize money) and 500 FedEx Cup points, but also an exemption to participate in The Sentry, THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters Tournament, and the PGA Championship in 2026.

Not since 2007 (when the FedEx Cup was founded) has the Wyndham Championship boasted a field of this caliber, with 21 of the world's top 50 and 22 of the FedEx Cup's top 50. If England's Aaron Rai defends the title he won in 2024, Americans Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Ben Griffin, Andrew Novak, Max Greyserman, Akshay Bhatia, and Kurt Kitayama (fresh from his exploits in the 3M Open) will be chasing the feat. With them are Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, England's Matt Fitzpatrick and Harry Hall, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, South Korea's Sungjae Im, New Zealand's Ryan Fox, Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard, and Australia's Adam Scott, runner-up in 2021 and 7th in 2023. For Manassero (147th in the FedEx Cup), the 32-year-old from Negrar di Valpolicella (Verona), after two consecutive cuts in Europe in the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open (the last Major of 2025), this is a chance to confirm the good results he showed on the PGA Tour last June in the Canadian Open, where he finished 6th after also leading at the end of the third and penultimate round.