In the past two TOUR Championships, Scottie Scheffler entered East Lake as the leading golfer in the FedExCup Standings. But did he win either of those events? Unfortunately, no. In 2022, Rory McIlroy took the trophy, while in 2023, Viktor Hovland cruised to victory. There is also a dreaded curse that has not been broken since Jordan Spieth’s 2015 TOUR Championship win: the player who enters the season-ending event with the lead in the standings never wins the event itself, despite having a 10-stroke advantage.
So, will the World No. 1 break the curse and rise above his past performances? Well, he certainly believes so and is confident in winning the TOUR Championship. After one of his worst finishes of the 2024 season at the BMW Championship, at the press conference, the reporters asked Scheffler, what his mindset would be going into the TOUR Championship. He said, “Just staying patient overall, treating it like I would any other tournament.”
However, the 27-year-old revealed that it felt strange entering the tournament with a lead. But he was confident that he would be in the top position next week. He confidently stated, “I know I’ll be in contention going into next week, and just got to go out there and do my thing and compete and I’ve got a great chance to win the tournament next week.” However, the 2-time major winner did not disregard the competitors he would have to face at the Georgia Greens.
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USA Today via Reuters
Jun 14, 2024; Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA; Scottie Scheffler reacts after a putt on the 13th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Pinehurst No. 2. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Scottie Scheffler’s defiant message: “I’m not going anywhere!” React!
Following the current Olympic gold medalists in the FedExCup Standings are 2-time major winner Xander Schauffele, 10-time PGA Tour winner Hideki Matsuyama, BMW Championship winner Keegan Bradley, and many others. Alluding to his rivals, Scheffler added, “I’ve got some great players behind me, and it should be some fun competition.”
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Although Scheffler sounds confident about the TOUR Championship, how has his performance been in the two FedExCup playoffs events, and does it push him toward better results?
How did Scottie Scheffler perform in the St. Jude and BMW Championship?
The 12-time PGA Tour winner started the St. Jude Championship on a high note, fresh off winning Olympic golf at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. Consequently, it was expected that Scottie Scheffler would win the St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind by a large margin. However, things didn’t turn out in his favor, and Hideki Matsuyama took his 10th PGA Tour victory. On the other hand, Scheffler was not far behind the leader, finishing solo fourth with 14-under 266.
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Then at the BMW Championship, the battle was more cruel as the Castle Pines Golf Club, with an altitude of 6,200, proved to be a nightmare for Scheffler. He carded the second-worst finish of his season so far after finishing at T33, the first was a T41 at the US Open. Even he accepted it being a frustrating week for him and said, “It’s just I had trouble with the wind and the elevation.”
Although the past two playoff events have not been particularly successful for Scheffler, and he has a history of not winning the TOUR Championship despite leading, the World No. 1 will hope that this year is different and that he doesn’t carry the ordinary performance from Castle Pines to East Lake.
