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Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler completely disagree as PGA Tour rule splits opinions

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Scottie Scheffler ory McIlroy PGA Tour FedEx Cup

For all his dominance in 2024, Scottie Scheffler can be toppled by the likes of Rory McIlroy in the PGA Tour play-offs – which unsurprisingly splits their opinions of the format

The PGA Tour ‘s play-offs have completely divided opinion between Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler has been by far and away the best PGA golfer this year. But the world No. 1’s six victories in 2024 only give him a shots-based advantage in the three tournaments, which determine the Tour champion.

Scottie Scheffler issued Rory McIlroy warning as PGA Tour rivals set for epic Masters battle - Mirror Online

READ: Scottie Scheffler lashes out after embarrassing shot during first PGA Tour event since Olympics victory

The top 50 in the FedEx Cup points standings after the St. Jude Championship this weekend will advance to next week’s BMW Championship, where that number will be whittled down to 30 for the concluding Tour Championship.

With 5,993 points, Scheffler is nearly 2,000 points ahead of closest rival Xander Schauffele on 4,057, and he’s got more than double McIlroy’s 2,545. But they’ve got a chance to catch up to him on the course, with the final winner of the FedEx Cup season claiming the trophy.

Given his dominance, Scheffler isn’t a fan of how it’s decided. “I talked about it the last few years. I think it’s silly,” he said. “You can’t call it a season-long race and have it come down to one tournament. Hypothetically, we get to East Lake (host of the Tour Championship) and my neck flares up and it doesn’t heal the way it did at The Players.

“I finish 30th in the FedExCup because I had to withdraw from the last tournament, is that really the season-long race? No. It’s a fun tournament. I don’t really consider it the season-long race like I think the way it’s called. But you’ve got to figure out a way to strike a balance between it being a good TV product and it still being a season-long race.

“Right now, I don’t know exactly how the ratings are or anything like that, but I know for a fact you can’t really quite call it the season-long race when it comes down to one stroke-play tournament on the same golf course each year.”

Barring any issues, Scheffler will start the Tour Championship on 10 under, at least two better than anyone else. But that hasn’t helped him triumph in the last two years. In 2022, he threw away a six-stroke lead and allowed McIlroy to claim a record third FedEx Cup.

Last year, he shot just one under overall and was 16 behind the champion Viktor Hovland. Scheffler’s frustration is likely heightened by the huge money on offer for the winner – $25million (£19m), which is not far off his record-breaking total earnings this year in excess of $28m (£22m).

McIlroy, on the other hand, is a fan. “I love this format because if it wasn’t this format, then none of us would have a chance against Scottie because he’s so far ahead,” he admitted. “So I really like this format. I think it makes the Tour Championship more exciting from a consumer standpoint.

“Is it the fairest reflection of who’s been the best player of the year? Probably not. But I think at this point we’re not in for totally fair; we’re in for entertainment and for trying to put on the best product we possibly can.”

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Scottie Scheffler lashes out after embarrassing shot during first PGA Tour event since Olympics victory

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Scottie Scheffler PGA Championship

Scottie Scheffler had a moment of frustration all golf fans could relate to during the opening round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship Thursday. 

The World No. 1, playing his first tournament back on the PGA Tour since winning Olympic gold in Paris, lost his temper, despite shooting a four-under 66 at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

Four-under thru 12, the Masters champion’s tee shot at the 13th found a bunker 185 yards from the pin. His second shot failed to find the green, suffering a similar sandy fate.

Scottie Scheffler: PGA Championship showing that the conquest of strife and struggle are the essence of sport - The Economic Times

READ: PGA V LIV GOLF: Rory McIlroy disagrees with Jon Rahm on divisive PGA Tour topic as LIV star’s stance clear

Faced with getting up and down from the trap to the right of the green, Scheffler splashed out over the pin with his ball coming to a stop 13 feet away from the hole.

Despite his shot safely finding the dancefloor and setting up a good look at a par save, the two-time major winner was less than impressed.

Scheffler immediately slammed his club into the bunker before his ball could even land, before furiously kicking the sand to cover his tracks and shaking his head in disgust.

As he exited the sand trap, he took one last aim at the ground with his club before striding away.

Scheffler ultimately missed the par putt and was forced to tap in for bogey – his lone dropped shot of the round.

However, he picked up another birdie at the par-five 16th to card his 66 and head into the second round Friday with a seven-way share of fifth.

Scheffler’s rare outburst came one day after the Olympian ripped into the PGA Tour’s ‘silly’ playoff format.

Arriving with a freshly-won gold medal around his neck, Scheffler was pressed on the one trophy that had eluded him throughout his glittering career so far: The FedEx Cup.

‘I talked about it the last few years, I think it’s silly,’ said Scheffler, who has started the past two Tour Championships at East Lake Golf Club at 10-under – at least two shots better than the rest of the field.

‘You can’t call it a season-long race and have it come down to one tournament.

‘Hypothetically, we get to East Lake and my neck flares up and it doesn’t heal the way it did at the Players. I finish 30th in the FedEx Cup because I had to withdraw from the last tournament? Is that really the season-long race? No, it is what it is.’

Scheffler, whose 2024 earnings total $36,148,691 so far, will tee off alongside PGA Championship and The Open Championship winner Xander Schauffele at 10:35am ET in the second round Friday with the BMW Championship following next week before the PGA Tour’s season finale on August 29.

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“Ready for LA 2028!”: Uncertain Future Crumbles Infront of LIV Golf Jon Rahm

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Jon Rahm Paris Olympic

Many would agree with Jon Rahm. However, only a few would truly understand the Spaniard’s words when he said, “It’s basically a dream come true.” 

He was alluding to the idea of winning a gold medal at the Olympics, something he missed by four strokes. But not to worry, since the athlete seems fairly confident about his 2028 chances in Los Angeles.

The 29-year-old shared a series of pictures on his Instagram handle commemorating his appearance at the quadrennial event. He did so while mentioning how grateful he was for the whole experience: “It was a tough Sunday for sure but I remain grateful for a great week in Paris. The experience of representing my native Spain in the Olympics was special and something I will never forget.” But the highlight of it all came in the last line: “Ready for LA 2028! 🇪🇸”

 

READ: Is Tiger Woods Still the Richest Pro Golfer? 2024 Net Worth Explored

He sounds confident, doesn’t he? Well, the current world No. 10 did convey the same, despite LIV Golf not getting acknowledged by the ranking system. If the trend of the OWGR snub continues, then there is a high chance for the Spanish athlete to fall down in rankings while getting pushed out of the top 15. Sounds a bit similar to Bryson DeChambeau’s situation, right?! The 2024 U.S. Open champ had also been just short of making it into the top four ranked Americans on OWGR, resulting in his snub.

But it’s not as if the confidence is completely unfounded for Jon Rahm. The Spanish golfer needs to just do his best and rake in good finishes at the major championships if the Saudi-backed league continues to be without OWGR backing. He just needs to pull off a 2024 DeChambeau, which saw the ‘Scientist’ jump from No. 210 before the Masters to No. 9 after the Open Championship.

That’s not all. With the PIF-PGA Tour merger in the works, one can even anticipate the LIV Golf Pros being able to play in Tour-sanctioned events if everything transpires smoothly. Interestingly, the Transaction Subcommittee, including the likes of Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, and Rory McIlroy, had met with PIF officials back in June. Although the result of the same remained a delay in the proceedings, the merger seems to be very well on the cards. But all of it is for naught if Rahm fails to card the medal, like in the recent event.

The 2023 Masters champ had been at the top rungs of the leaderboard since day 1. He had even been well set at T1, that is, until a dominant Scottie Scheffler shot past him. The American’s run, coupled with Rahm’s horrid back nine, saw the 29-year-old crumble down at the end of Sunday. He carded four bogeys and a double bogey, alongside two birdies in the back nine alone. It was a truly unfortunate fourth round for the Spaniard.

The athlete, in the end, finished T5 with a score of 15-under-269, tied with McIlroy. He did so while dishing out a total of 24 birdies, 9 bogeys, 2 eagles, and 2 double bogeys over the four days of play. Had he been able to score a par putt instead of a double bogey or two of the same instead of two bogeys, then Rahm would have had a chance to force a playoff with Hideki Matsuyama for a bronze medal.

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