Scottie Scheffler turned a 2-shot overnight advantage into an 8-stroke victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, shooting a final-round 66 to open the FedExCup Playoffs.

The world No. 1 finished at 17-under 263, with Dallas neighbour Si Woo Kim his closest challenger after a closing 68. Scheffler’s winning margin was the largest in the tournament’s 68-year history at TPC Southwind, surpassing John Cook’s 7-shot victory in 1996.

It was Scheffler’s second PGA Tour title of 2026 following his victory at The American Express, ending a wait of nearly seven months. He had 12 top-five finishes in 18 starts, including five runner-up results.

Scheffler responds after early setback

Scheffler’s lead briefly fell to one after an unfortunate break at the par-five 3rd. His bunker shot landed on a sprinkler head, bounced over the green and rolled into the water, leading to a bogey.

“I was like, ‘Man, when is this going to stop happening?’” Scheffler said.

Sungjae Im moved within one, but Scheffler responded with consecutive birdie putts at the 5th and 6th. Playing in the final group in the week’s strongest wind and intense heat, he matched Sunday’s lowest round.

Sam Burns, one of Scheffler’s closest friends, played alongside him but made double bogey at the 3rd and closed with a 73. He shared third place with Alex Noren, who shot 69.

“I don’t think it would have mattered if I played well,” Burns said. “He was going to be tough to beat today.”

Scheffler led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting at a career-best 8.92, only the second time he has topped that category at a PGA Tour event. He also ranked second in Strokes Gained: Approach and made a tournament-high 23 birdies.

Scheffler secures FedExCup advantage

The victory was the 21st of Scheffler’s PGA Tour career, coming in his 168th start. Ten of those wins have come by at least four shots, while he has now recorded two eight-stroke victories following his success at the 2025 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Scheffler joined Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy as the only players in the past 40 years to win multiple Tour events by eight shots or more.

He collected $3.6 million from the $20 million purse and secured another $23 million in bonus money by guaranteeing the No. 1 position in the FedExCup standings before the Tour Championship. His lead over Matt Fitzpatrick increased from 794 points to 1,447, which cannot be overturned at the BMW Championship.

TPC Southwind had been the course Scheffler had played most often without winning. His previous best across six appearances was a tie for third in 2025, while the FedEx St. Jude Championship was the only FedExCup Playoffs event missing from his record.

Im advances to BMW Championship

Im’s closing 74 left him tied for 5th, but it moved him from 53rd into the top-50 who advance to the BMW Championship in St. Louis. He remains in contention to qualify for the Tour Championship, as he has in every season since his 2019 rookie campaign.

Keith Mitchell dropped outside the top-50 after finding water at the 18th and making bogey. Jordan Spieth also missed progression after a bogey at the 15th left him short of his first BMW Championship appearance since 2023.

Scheffler now has multiple victories in five consecutive seasons. With the BMW Championship and Tour Championship remaining, he can still pursue a fifth straight PGA Tour Player of the Year award.

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