Follow us on Google Discover Scottie Scheffler is currently sitting at the top of the FedEx Cup points list.
Scheffler will be back in action next week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship as he begins a three-week stretch of golf that will end at the Tour Championship.
The world number one has experienced a challenging season on the PGA Tour this year.
Scottie Scheffler does have one win to his name, and as mentioned above, he is sitting at the top of the FedEx Cup standings.
The 30-year-old has 11 top-5s to his name in 17 PGA Tour starts this season, including five runner-up finishes.
Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images
He has been dominant in most of the key statistical categories as well.
However, anyone who has watched Scheffler this season will know that he hasn’t been at his very best.
In spite of that, Scheffler still has a great chance of winning the PGA Tour Player of the Year award.
Scottie Scheffler could be at a disadvantage at the Tour Championship
Scheffler has won the FedEx Cup once before, back in 2024.
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However, if he is to win the season-long race for the second time, he will need to triumph at the Tour Championship at East Lake later this month.
The thing is, if the man from Dallas, Texas, remains at the top of the standings heading into the Tour Championship, he may well be at a disadvantage.
That’s because the PGA Tour changed the Tour Championship format last year, whereby everyone in the 30-man field begins on the same score.
It is then a straight shootout at East Lake to decide who wins the FedEx Cup.
Now, whoever is leading the FedEx Cup tees off last on Thursday at the Tour Championship alongside the player who’s second in the standings.
It is common knowledge that teeing off last is always more difficult than being the first player out.
It’s not even like those who are first off will have to deal with colder conditions with dew on the ground, because they don’t head out until around 11 am.
The greens are bumpier and crustier in the afternoon as they are dried out by the heat.
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Meanwhile, the last group that tees off will have to deal with the psychological blow of already being at least a few shots behind the leader by the time they get out on the golf course.
In addition to those potential issues, the wind strengthens more often than not in the afternoon, while the smoothness of the sand in the bunkers is affected throughout the day.
Tour Championship change required in the name of fairness
Brian Rolapp has to find a way of giving the FedEx Cup points leader some kind of advantage at the Tour Championship.
Otherwise, what’s the point in playing in so many events to improve your standing? Guys may as well just cruise through and finish anywhere from 10th to 30th.
An interesting idea would be to set up the Tour Championship so that the players ranked one and two in the FedEx Cup points list heading into East Lake actually tee off first on day one.
The normal format could obviously be reverted to for the final three rounds, but giving the FedEx Cup leader some kind of advantage for the first round would be something at least.
Since the starting strokes format has been taken away, it has become incredibly difficult to win the Tour Championship.
At least in the NBA playoffs, the team with the best record throughout the regular season gets home-court advantage, including in the finals.
There is no doubt whatsoever that Scottie Scheffler will be at a disadvantage if he is still inside the top two of the FedEx Cup points list by the time he tees off at the Tour Championship.
That has to change moving forward, otherwise what is the point in having a season-long race in the first place?
Brian Rolapp has a big problem to solve. While starting strokes may not have been the correct way to go, the current format doesn’t seem right either.
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