‘Starting strokes’ format in the past, any of the 30 players in field at East Lake can win the FedEx Cup
After 38 tournaments in eight months, the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup season comes down to four days in Atlanta at the East Lake Golf Club to settle the championship Aug. 21-24.
And for all that Scottie Scheffler has done — five victories, two major championships, more than $23 million in earnings and a lead of nearly 4,000 points over second-place Rory McIlroy — he doesn’t have any more of an advantage over the 30th-place player in the field, Akshay Bhatia.
Except, of course, momentum.
Scottie Scheffler is on a Tiger-like roll
Scheffler’s victory in the BMW Championship on Aug. 17, in which he rallied from four shots behind Robert MacIntyre to start the day, was his 13th top-10 finish in a row since tying for 20th at The Players Championship. Nine of them have been top-fives.
But with the controversial “Starting Strokes” format summarily tossed out at mid-season, any of the 30 players in the field can capture lightning in a bottle for four days at East Lake and come away with the season title and a $10 million bonus (which doesn’t count towards official money).
It’s also a departure from the old system from 2007-2018 when there were still a graduated amount of points awarded to the top finishers at East Lake, which led to the awkward situation four times where the FedEx Cup champion did not win the Tour Championship, including the last two years of that format when Tiger Woods and Xander Schauffele won the tournament but Justin Rose and Justin Thomas won the FedEx Cup.
Who are the area players in the Tour Championship field?
First Coast: Ludvig Aberg.
Golden Isles: Ben Griffin, Harris English, Andrew Novak, Brian Harman.
Purse: $40 million ($10 million to the winner).
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler.
TV: Golf Channel (Aug. 21-22, 1-6 p.m.; Aug. 23, 1-2:30 p.m.; Aug. 24, 12-1:30 P.M.); NBC (Aug. 23, 2:30-7 p.m.; Aug. 24, 1:30-6 p.m.).
What other Tours are playing this week?
LIV Golf
Event: LIV Golf Michigan, Aug. 22-24, The Cardinal at Saint John’s, Plymouth, Mich.
Purse: $20 million ($5 million to the winning team).
Defending champion: First-time event.
TV: FOX (Aug. 22, 2-5 p.m.; Aug. 23, 12-3 p.m.; Aug. 24, 4:30-7 p.m.); FS2 (Aug. 22, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.); FS1 (Aug. 24, 1-4:30 p.m.).
Area player: Cameron Smith.
LPGA
Event: CPKC Women’s Open, Aug. 21-24, Mississauga Golf and Country Club, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Purse: $2.75 million ($412,500 to the winner).
Defending champion: Lauren Coughlin.
Area players: Auston Kim, Jessica Porvasnik.
TV: Golf Channel (Aug. 21-22, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.; Aug. 23, 4:30-7 p.m.); CBS (Aug. 24, 4-6 p.m.).
PGA Tour Champions
Event: Ally Challenge, Aug. 22-24, Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, Grand Blanc, Mich.
Purse: $2.2 million ($330,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Stewart Cink.
Area players: David Duval, Fred Funk, Vijay Singh.
TV: Golf Channel (Aug. 22, 7-9 p.m.; Aug. 23, 2:30-4:30 p.m.; Aug 24, 1:30-4:30 p.m.).
Read the full article here