스코티 셰플러가 연승에 성공했다. 16연속 대회에서 우승 기회를 놓친 후 골프의 정상에 돌아온 셰플러는 여전히 최고의 선수임을 다시금 증명했다.
셰플러는 TPC Southwind에서 17언더 263으로 FedEx St. Jude Championship을 압도적으로 제패했다. 우승 마진은 8타로, 페덱스컵 플레이오프 첫 번째 레그를 완전히 장악했다. 이는 시즌 두 번째 우승이지만, 1월 American Express에서 우승한 이후 처음 정상에 오른 쾌거다.
통산 21번째 PGA Tour 우승을 거둔 셰플러는 750 페덱스컵 포인트와 상금 360만 달러(총 2,000만 달러의 상금풀 중)를 손에 쥐었다.
시즌 초반 American Express에서 우승한 후 셰플러는 준우승 5회, 3위 2회, 4위 3회로 안정적인 성적을 기록했지만 우승은 오지 않았다. 플레이오프 개막전에서의 우승은 나머지 선수들에게 경고장과 같다. 특히 눈에 띄는 것은 이번 우승으로 2위인 매트 피츠패트릭(3회 우승)과의 포인트 차이가 약 1,450점까지 벌어졌다는 점이다.
셰플러는 2라운드에서 9언더 61을 기록해 코스 레코드를 동률하며 주도권을 장악했다. 이후 3라운드 68로 그 차이를 2타로 줄였고, 최종 라운드 66으로 마무리했다. 최종 라운드에서 파를 넘긴 선수는 Si Woo Kim(68)과 Alex Noren(69) 두 명뿐이었고, 이들은 각각 단독 2위와 공동 3위에 자리했다.
8타 우승 마진은 셰플러가 지난 2025년 THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson에서 기록한 것과 같으며, 그보다 큰 우승 마진은 더스틴 존슨이 2020년 The Genesis Invitational에서 기록한 11타가 유일하다.
이번 우승으로 차기 BMW Championship 진출을 위한 상위 50명 선수 중 1명만 탈락했다. 성준 임은 5위 동률에 머물러 포인트를 얻었고 40위로 올라 진출이 확정됐다. 키스 미첼은 최종홀에서 birdie가 필요했지만 bogey를 기록하며 상위 50명 밖으로 떨어졌다.
01Original (English) — PGA TOUR
Uh-oh. Scottie Scheffler got his groove back. After 16 consecutive starts during which he failed to record a victory, he's reminded the sport, the world and himself that he's still pretty good at golf.
In posting 17-under 263 at TPC Southwind, Scheffler laid an uncompromising claim to the first leg of the 20th edition of the FedExCup Playoffs with an eight-stroke victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. It's his second win of the season, but he hadn't emerged as a champion since he opened 2026 with a come-from-behind triumph at The American Express in late January.
Scheffler's 21st career PGA TOUR title rewards him with 750 FedExCup points and $3.6 million of the $20 million prize fund. More on his runaway, a historical mark among his contemporaries and other nuggets are below the breakdown of the 68 golfers who cashed in Memphis.
Although every touring professional wants to win every start, the objective of the Playoffs is not about how you start; it's how you finish. However, for Scheffler, the old adage merges his 2026 trajectories because it's both – how he started the series and how he's concluding the season.
Since winning The American Express, for what was his first victory in a season debut, Scheffler finished second five times, third twice and fourth thrice. So, to snag the bag in the lid-lifter of the three-leg Playoffs puts everyone else on notice at a time when everyone notices. Still, even though the FedEx St. Jude was "only" his second win of the year, he was mathematically safe to retain the top spot in the FedExCup standings due to his cushion upon arrival at TPC Southwind, but now he owns a margin of almost 1,450 points over three-time winner Matt Fitzpatrick. The Brit placed T12. That was fitting given he came to rest a dozen strokes back of the champ.
Scheffler grabbed the lead with a second-round, 9-under 61 that equaled the course record. That yielded a three-stroke margin, which was cut to two after a 68 in his third round. And while his closing 66 was the second-lowest score of the finale, only two of the other 13 in the last seven pairings broke par – Si Woo Kim (68) and Alex Noren (69). They finished second and T3, respectively. It was Kim's third-round lead at The American Express that Scheffler bypassed en route to that victory. Not that Kim needs any reminders of the good fortunes of his good friend, but Scheffler's pair of titles on top of the cavalcade of close calls loom large against what now are five podium finishes sans a victory in 2026. That's objectively strong, just not as strong.
Adding to his dominance relative to his peers, Scheffler's margin of victory at TPC Southwind is the largest since he lapped the field at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson by the same in 2025. The last gap that was bigger remains Dustin Johnson's 11-shot romp at The Genesis Invitational in 2020.
With the distribution of FedExCup points now matching THE PLAYERS Championship and the majors, turnover for entry into the 50-man BMW Championship was limited to just one. Sungjae Im's two-way share of fifth place lifted him 13 spots in the ranks to 40th. Keith Mitchell was the odd man out after his five-way T34. Mitchell bogeyed the 72nd hole needing a birdie to stay inside the top 50.
Elsewhere, defending champion and course co-record holder Justin Rose finished T39 with a field-best 64 on Sunday. Robert MacIntyre (knee) withdrew after opening with 82. Daniel Berger (back) opted not to compete due to an injured back. Among that trio, only Berger at 60th in the FedExCup does not advance to the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club outside St. Louis.
