Scheffler's FedEx Cup Lead.
Scottie Scheffler Dominates FedEx St. Jude Championship, Extends FedEx Cup Lead with Eight-Shot Victory.
Key Points
Rory McIlroy, playing for the first time since The Open, couldn’t break par all week and finished 66th, beating only three players.
Sungjae Im was the only player to move into the FedEx Cup top-50 from outside the group, jumping 13 spots to secure his BMW Championship berth.
After BMW, the Tour Championship will be limited to the top 30 FedEx Cup players and will be contested as a straight-up stroke-play event with no position-based advantage.
Prize payouts extend beyond the winner: 2nd place earned $2,160,000, 3rd place $1,360,000, and 69th $41,000, with all 69 players in the field collecting a paycheck.
This win gave Scheffler his second victory of the season and his 21st PGA Tour win overall.
Scottie Scheffler dominated the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind, winning by eight shots and taking home $3.6 million from a $20 million purse, according to Golf Digest. The world No. 1 finished at 17-under par, with Si Woo Kim finishing second and collecting $2,160,000.
The victory is Scheffler's second of the 2026 season and his 21st PGA Tour win overall, per Audacy. It also puts him over 1,000 FedEx Cup points clear of second-place Matt Fitzpatrick heading into the BMW Championship.
Scheffler Runs Away From the Field in Memphis
Scheffler led wire to wire at TPC Southwind, making the St. Jude look easy. Bleacher Report noted he finished at 17-under with an eight-shot cushion over Kim. Third place earned $1,360,000. Even the last-place finisher, 69th out of 69 players, took home $41,000.
The field shrank to 69 players during the week. Daniel Berger withdrew due to injury before play began. Robert MacIntyre pulled out mid-tournament. Still, all 69 players who competed earned a paycheck, according to WDC News 6. Thirty-six players earned at least $100,000.
Top-50 Race Decides Who Plays Next Week
The St. Jude is the first of three FedEx Cup Playoff events. Only the top 50 in FedEx Cup points advance to the BMW Championship. Most of those spots were already locked up heading into Memphis.
Sungjae Im was the only player to jump into the top 50 from outside the group. He moved up 13 spots to earn his BMW berth, according to Golf Digest. Jordan Spieth and Max Homa could not make the cut and will not play in the BMW Championship.
New Tour Championship Format Levels the Playing Field
Scheffler's massive FedEx Cup lead will not give him a head start at the Tour Championship. The 2026 format removes the old stroke-based starting advantage. The Tour Championship — limited to the top 30 players after the BMW — will be played as straight-up stroke play. Everyone starts at zero.
That is a big shift from past years, when the FedEx Cup leader began the Tour Championship at 10-under par. Now Scheffler's cushion in the standings only matters for reaching East Lake. Once he gets there, the scoreboard is blank for everyone, per Golf Channel.
McIlroy Struggles in His First Start Since The Open
Rory McIlroy had a rough return to action. Playing for the first time since The Open, he could not break par all week at TPC Southwind. He finished 66th out of 69 players, beating only three others in the field, according to Audacy.
McIlroy's finish raised questions about his form heading into the postseason. He still advanced to the BMW Championship based on his FedEx Cup standing heading into Memphis. But he will need to find his game fast. The Tour Championship field drops to just 30 players after next week.
Sentiment
Mostly PositivePublishers
16
Articles
15
Reach
31
