The drawbacks of the new format of the FedEx Cup have already been exposed by Rory McIlroy and Sepp Straka. The Irishman intentionally skipped the first playoff as it didn’t affect his position in the standings. The Austrian has not joined the field at Caves Valley, citing that he has a family emergency. While both reasons are valid, the new format implemented by Jay Monahan & Co. does have enough loopholes to allow the players to behave this way. And Scottie Scheffler had something to say about it.
During a heated discussion with a reporter after the end of the first round of the BMW Championship, he was asked about the relevance of the FedEx Cup. Having finished runner-up in the 2023 edition of the event, Scheffler spoke from experience when he replied, “In order to win the FedExCup, you have to be one of the 30 best players for the entire year, and you’ve got to show up at East Lake and have a great tournament. I think when you look at our sport, most of it is competed over four days, and you’ve got four days to go out and win the FedExCup.”
While he didn’t win the TOUR Championship in 2023, the world #1 was put in that position once to learn from his mistakes. So when he got the opportunity again a year later, he didn’t repeat it and captured the title for 2024. As he admitted, to be the Player of the Year, one needs to be incredibly consistent throughout the season to finish in the top 30. They also need to go on and win the TOUR Championship and top the standings to actually lift the FedEx Cup title in the end. That is not an easy feat to achieve for anyone. Scheffler acknowledges the format for that.
However, there lies the question of whether the FedEx Cup champion should be adjudged the Player of the Year. And the world #1 had an interesting response to that query from one of the journalists who asked if they should be separated. Scottie said, “Well, I think they’re two different things. All it is is you’re trying to strike a balance between rewarding great play throughout the regular season and rewarding great play in the playoffs.”
You can understand where this is going. He believes that one player’s achievements throughout the season shouldn’t be compared to another player’s performance in the playoffs. Both performances can be rewarded separately, unless the player achieving both feats is the same. As he elaborates, “In order to win the FedExCup, you have to put together a great body of work. For you to qualify for the TOUR Championship, especially without winning a tournament, means you had a great, consistent year.”
Getting to the TOUR Championship itself requires a lot of hard work throughout the season. But it’s not just something one of the players has done in a year. 30 golfers achieve that feat every season. Whoever, among them, is able to beat the 29 others to win the TOUR Championship deserves the right to be named the FedEx Cup champion. However, the Player of the Year shouldn’t be rewarded based on just who wins the playoffs.
Interestingly, Rory McIlroy also had a hot take on this entire situation. And Scottie Scheffler agreed with it back when he wasn’t in favor of the old format of the FedEx Cup.
Scottie Scheffler resonates with Rory McIlroy over the FedEx Cup & Player of the Year format
Back in 2024, when Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele dominated the PGA Tour, the world #1 was asked to give his opinion on the old format of the FedEx Cup. He wasn’t entirely pleased with the setup, as he said, “I think it’s silly. 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.”
Rory McIlroy also had something similar to say about the situation. As posted on Golf Monthly, the Irishman said, “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.”
Until last year, the FedEx Cup format was set up to entertain the fans, keep them on their toes. The stroke advantage leader was nearly guaranteed a win. However, there have been instances where the fans saw some exciting comebacks from McIlroy and others who didn’t go into the TOUR Championship with the best stroke advantage. This season, the FedEx Cup playoffs have been criticized for being too boring and bland. Let’s see what Brian Rolapp comes up with for 2026 to ensure that the FedEx Cup playoffs don’t lose their value on the PGA Tour.
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