Scottie Scheffler returned to his dominant form on Sunday, securing the FedEx St. Jude Championship by eight shots at TPC Southwind. This victory marks the end of a nearly seven-month title drought for the world's top-ranked golfer, who had previously only won once this season at The American Express in January.
Despite a brief scare on the par-5 third hole where a bunker shot landed on a sprinkler head and rolled into the water for a bogey, Scheffler quickly reasserted control. The misstep narrowed his lead to one shot over Sungjae Im, but Scheffler responded with consecutive birdies on the fifth and sixth holes. He finished the tournament at 17-under 263, carding a final-round 4-under 66 in stifling heat and windy conditions. This eight-shot margin of victory is the largest in the 68-year history of the tournament at TPC Southwind, surpassing John Cook's seven-shot win in 1996.
Scheffler's win is his 21st on the PGA Tour, with 10 of those victories coming by four shots or more. Sam Burns, playing in the final group with Scheffler, noted that even a strong performance from himself likely wouldn't have been enough to challenge Scheffler on Sunday.
Beyond the tournament trophy, Scheffler earned $3.6 million and clinched an additional $23 million in bonus money for securing the No. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings through the upcoming BMW Championship. No other player can mathematically catch him in the FedEx Cup points race.
This season, Scheffler has demonstrated remarkable consistency with two victories, five runner-up finishes, and five other top-4 placings. The TPC Southwind had been the course where Scheffler had played the most without a victory, and the FedEx Cup playoffs opener had been the only postseason tournament he had not yet won. All of that changed on Sunday.
For other players, the tournament's conclusion brought significant implications for the FedEx Cup playoffs. Sungjae Im, despite finishing with a 75 to tie for fifth, moved from 53rd to within the top 50 in the standings, securing his spot in the BMW Championship. This advancement keeps alive his streak of reaching the Tour Championship every year since his rookie season in 2019. Im's position bumped Keith Mitchell, who struggled on the 18th hole, and Jordan Spieth, who narrowly missed the cut-off for the next playoff event.
The top 50 players advancing to the BMW Championship are also guaranteed spots in all of next year's $20 million signature events. Scheffler's performance also strengthens his case for a fifth consecutive PGA Tour player of the year award, though he still has two more tournaments to solidify his standing.