With anticipation building ahead of this week’s climatic PGA Tour and FedEx Cup finale at the Tour Championship, we look at the players worth keeping an eye on.
The stage is set at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia for the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings, each of whom have proven their worth over the season.
However, the script has yet to be written and the trophy remains on its pedestal. Twists and turns, triumph and heartbreak await the final 30 in what is lining up to be a spectacular finish to another stellar season of golf.
Storylines to watch at the Tour Championship
Scottie Scheffler’s quest for redemption
All eyes will be on the world number one, Scottie Sheffler. For the third year running, the 28-year-old enters the Tour Championship at the top of the FedEx Cup standings.
Despite a remarkable season, with six victories — including The Masters, The Players Championship and four signature events — Scheffler has yet to seal the deal at East Lake.
In 2022, he finished T2, and in 2023, he slipped to T6. He now stands on the precipice of history, with a chance to secure his first FedEx Cup title and his seventh win of the season (eight, if you include his Olympic gold medal), a feat not achieved since Tiger Woods in 2007.
Keegan Bradley’s meteoric rise
If there’s a name that’s generating a buzz heading into the Tour Championship this year, it’s USA Ryder Cup captain, Keegan Bradley.
Bradley began the FedEx Cup playoffs at No.39 and very nearly missed out on advancing, but a clutch victory at the BMW Championship leapfrogged him from No.50 to No.4 in the standings.
His dramatic rise is reminiscent of champions who rode a well-timed wave of momentum to the FedEx Cup title, such as Patrick Cantlay in 2021 and Viktor Hovland in 2023.
Bradley’s return to form is a testament to perseverance and will make him a fan-favourite wild card at this week’s event.
The new kids on the block
This year’s field features nine first-timers, headlined by the young Swede, Ludvig Åberg. The 24-year-old comes into the tournament at No. 5 following a terrific season that included a T2 at the BMW Championship and two other runner-up finishes at The Masters and AT&T Pebble Beach. Although a rookie, he enters East Lake as a legitimate contender.
Joining him are other fresh faces like Akshay Bhatia, the youngest player in the field at 22, and Frenchman Matthieu Pavon — the only rookie to advance to the Tour Championship this year.
Schauffele’s major success
It’s been a big year for Xander Schauffele, in fact, a pretty huge year. The highest-ranked player to have not won a major finally won a major — and then he won another one.
A stalwart on the PGA Tour, the Californian native’s consistency finally paid off when he won the PGA Championship in style, carding the joint lowest-ever round in PGA Championship history and the lowest 72-hole score to par and 72-hole scoring total in major championship history.
Evidently, it was the kick that he needed. Just two months later, the 30-year-old secured his second major victory at The Open Championship, seeing off stiff competition in inclement conditions.
It’s this level of consistency, paired with a positive affiliation with the Georgia course, that might very well make him a danger. Schauffele’s scoring average of 66.96 at East Lake is the lowest in tournament history, with the world number two having never finished worse than T7 in seven prior starts.
McIlroy’s pursuit of a fourth FedExCup title
Rory McIlroy is the only three-time FedEx Cup champion and begins the week at 4-under — the same deficit that he overcame in 2022.
The 35-year-old’s love affair with East Lake is well-documented and, historically, has handled the pressure well in the Tour Championship. However, as we’ve seen a few times this season, he’s been lacking the killer instinct.
The four-time major winner will need to sweep this season’s disappointments under the rug and come into the championship with a rejuvenated mindset if he’s to win his fourth FedEx Cup title.
The potential return of Hideki Matsuyama
Hideki Matsuyama has put himself back in the running for the FedEx Cup after struggling with injury setbacks.
The 32-year-old, coming into the tournament ranked No. 3, has qualified for the Tour Championship in 10 of his last 11 seasons and will be looking to improve on his career-best finish of eighth in 2017 — if he can play.
His withdrawal from the BMW Championship due to lower back pain has raised concerns about whether he’ll be competing at East Lake, with the world number seven still yet to address the media on his condition.
That being said, if he’s fit and healthy, Matsuyama certainly has the skillset and experience to make a run at the title.
As always, the Tour Championship promises excitement, drama and world-class golf. The stakes are high, the field is stacked, and with a whopping $25 million cheque on the line, the storyline is ripe for another climactic chapter in the history of the FedExCup Playoffs.
