Tour Championship – GolfDay – The Premiere Golf Course Guide

While Scottie Scheffler is having one of the greatest seasons in PGA Tour history, he’ll have to keep his foot firmly on the gas to keep Xander Schauffele in the rear view. With his second major victory of 2024 at the Open Championship, Xander positioned himself to pull neck and neck with Scottie for Player of the Year if he can close with a couple of wins and add a FedEx Cup to his mantelpiece.

**Scheffler and Schauffele: Making History**

Scheffler has recorded 5 tour wins, a major championship and 2 major Top-10’s, while Schauffele has won 2 major championships with 2 major Top-10’s. Neither has missed a cut, and Scottie has recorded Top-10’s in 14 of 16 starts (87.5%) while Xander has 12 Top-10’s in 18 starts (66.6%).

History in the Making

Only a few times in history have two players performed at the level of brilliant consistency displayed by Scheffler and Schauffele in the 2024 season—and of course we have to look at Jack and Tiger to provide perspective

In addition to their major championships, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods set a standard for consistent excellence that would seem impossible to replicate—yet Scottie Scheffler is on the cusp of doing just that.

The Rivalries

Jack and Tiger were challenged and pushed by a number of All-Time Top 100 players who would also earn their place in the Hall of Fame, creating intense rivalries that elevated their games to even greater heights.

Early in his career Jack clashed with Arnie and Player, followed later by legendary battles with Weiskopf and Watson.

Tiger and Phil went at it hammer and tongs for a decade and more, Vijay recorded 92 Top-10’s between 2001 and 2006, while Ernie Els had one of his greatest seasons in 2004—all when Tiger was at the pinnacle of his power.

When Scottie and Xander tee it up this week at TPC Southwind in Memphis for the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, we will have the opportunity to see two players destined to be among the greats of the game at peak performance with the richest prize in golf history on the line.

Of course, there are other elite players who have no intention of allowing Scottie and Xander to steal the show, including Rory as he looks to redeem his 2024 season with a fourth FedEx Cup.

Through the annals of golf history, however, it is extremely rare to have two players performing at such a high level in the same year—so the next three weeks is a sure bet to deliver some pretty fantastic golf.

Time to head for Memphis.

FedEx Cup

This week the Tour is in Memphis for the FedEx St. Jude Classic, then on to the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado and culminating with The Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.

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The BMW Championship Wrap-Up

Last week concluded the BMW Championship, the final event leading up to the Tour Championship this weekend—and what a way to head into the final week of the PGA season. The back nine battle on Sunday between Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau was every bit as thrilling as “The Duel in Sun” between Jack and Tom Watson at Turnberry back in ’77, or the epic struggle between Phil and Henrik Stenson in the final round of the 2016 Open Championship. Cantlay and DeChambeau began the day tied for the lead, and it ended the same way as they each fired sizzling rounds of 66 and went to a playoff. Bryson ramped up the pressure throughout with titanic bombs off the tee, while Cantlay countered with steely discipline and tremendous nerve, making clutch putt after clutch putt. On the par 5 sixteenth, DeChambeau took a one-shot lead after making birdie, and on the par 3 seventeenth it looked like Cantlay was finished when his tee shot found the water. But he refused to quit, getting up and down from a hundred yards by canning yet another huge putt to stay within a shot after Bryson hit a poor chip and failed to convert his putt for par. On the eighteenth, Cantlay dug deep yet again, knocking in a twenty-foot birdie putt to force a playoff. It took six holes of pressure packed thrills, but Patrick finally prevailed. With the win, Cantlay sits atop the FedEx Cup standings, just ahead of Tony Finau. It would seem too much to ask for another finish like this one, but with the cast of heavyweights who will be teeing it up at East Lake, anything can happen.

The Tour Championship

Today marks the first round of the season ending Tour Championship at famed East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The tournament was founded in 1987, and was originally played in November. However, in 2007 with the establishment of the FedEx Cup, the tournament was moved up to September. The field includes the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup points standings, and because of a format change adopted in 2019, Patrick Cantlay will start the tournament at -10, based on finishing first in the FedEx Cup point standings. Tony Finau, at second, will be starting at -8, while Bryson DeChambeau, sitting at number 3, will start at -7 and so on down to the last five players in the standings who will start at even par. Historically, the Tour Championship was structured such that a player could win the Tour Championship, but not win the FedEx Cup. The change in format now means that the winner of the Tour Championship will also take home the FedEx Cup (along with the $15 million that comes with it). With such a fantastic lead-up to the main event, it appears the PGA Tour season is headed for a final weekend of pure excitement—so don’t miss a minute.

The Course

East Lake Golf Club was founded in 1908, originally designed by Tom Bendelow, and remodeled by Donald Ross in 1913. The course was later updated by George Cobb and most recently by Reese Jones in 1994. In addition to the Tour Championship, the home course of the legendary Bobby Jones has hosted many prestigious championships over the years, including the 1950 U.S. Women’s Amateur, the 1963 Ryder Cup and the 2001 U.S. Amateur. With a USGA course rating of 76.2 and slope rating of 144, East Lake is a fitting test to crown the FedEx Cup champion each year.