Scheffler begins chase for a FedEx Cup title as postseason starts in sweltering Memphis
- The PGA Tour postseason starts with the FedEx St. Jude Championship, featuring a $20 million prize and a 69-man field.
- Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 seed and aims to win the FedEx Cup for the second time.
- Players ranked outside the top 50, like Jordan Spieth and Jackson Koivun, face urgency to advance to the BMW Championship.
- Rory McIlroy, ranked No. 12, returns to the TPC Southwind after skipping it last year, seeking to assess his game.
- This postseason is marked by a lack of standout performances among players.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The PGA Tour postseason starts with a $20 million tournament, with only a 69-man field, and with a sense of urgency for only about half of the players at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 seed and bracing for three straight postseason tournaments, even though his chances of winning the FedEx Cup for the second time depend solely on how he performs at East Lake for the season-ending Tour Championship.
He has played the TPC Southwind seven times, the most of any course on the PGA Tour without ever having won. Those outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup — Jordan Spieth the most prominent at No. 54 and Jackson Koivun at No. 70 despite turning pro only in June — have great urgency. Their season is over if they don’t move into the top 50 and advance to St. Louis for the BMW Championship.
And then there’s Rory McIlroy at No. 12, already set for the Tour Championship. He skipped the TPC Southwind last year because there was no point in playing. But he’s back this year, perhaps because the Masters champion has played only 11 times on the PGA Tour this season. “A few different things went into that decision. I think having four weeks off going into the last two events of the year was probably going to be a little too much for me in terms of wanting to be competitive,” McIlroy said.
谢夫勒在炎热的孟菲斯开始追逐联邦快递杯冠军
孟菲斯, 田纳西州 (美联社) — PGA巡回赛季后赛以奖金2000万美元的联邦快递圣朱德锦标赛开始，参赛人数为69人，只有大约一半的球员感受到紧迫感。谢夫勒是第一种子，准备参加连续三场季后赛，尽管他第二次赢得联邦快递杯的机会完全取决于他在东湖的表现，这是赛季结束的巡回锦标赛。
他在TPC南风打了七次，这是他在PGA巡回赛上打过的最多的球场，但从未赢得过。排名联邦快递杯前50名之外的球员——斯皮思排名第54，科伊文排名第70，尽管他在6月才转为职业选手——面临着巨大的紧迫性。如果他们不能进入前50名并晋级到圣路易斯参加宝马锦标赛，他们的赛季就会结束。
而排名第12的麦克罗伊已经确定参加巡回锦标赛。他去年跳过TPC南风，因为没有必要参加。但他今年回来了，或许是因为这位大师赛冠军本赛季在PGA巡回赛上只打了11场比赛。“做出这个决定考虑了几个不同的因素。我认为在进入年末最后两场比赛前休息四周，可能对我想要保持竞争力来说有些过多，”麦克罗伊说道。