Scottie Scheffler answers Xander Schauffele questions ahead of Tour Championship

Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer, is set to pursue his first-ever FedExCup title this week in Atlanta, aiming to conclude an extraordinary year on a high note. Scheffler, who recently won The Masters, will start the Tour Championship with a two-stroke advantage over world No. 2 Xander Schauffele and the rest of the field, placing him in a favorable position. However, he faces the challenge of breaking a winless streak at the Tour Championship, despite leading at the start for the third time in his career.

This season has been remarkable for Scheffler, who has captured six PGA Tour titles, including prestigious victories at The Masters and The Players Championship. Additionally, he secured an Olympic gold medal in Paris earlier this month. A FedExCup win would be the perfect way to cap off what has already been a stellar year.

Scheffler has subtly shared his thoughts on who should be considered the top golfer on the tour, emphasizing the importance of consistent performance throughout the entire season. He expressed his belief that a playoff at the end of the year might not always identify the best player, arguing that a season-long performance should hold more weight.

“If you want to just have a player that’s playing the best at the end of the year, I think the Playoffs will definitely identify that player. In terms of the season-long race, it’s maybe not always going to be the guy that plays the best the whole season; it’s going to be the guy that plays the best in these Playoff events,” Scheffler told Sky Sports.

He also highlighted the significance of excelling in the final stretch of the season, saying, “That’s really what you’re identifying is the guy that plays the best in these last three events. It’s a format that’s changed a bunch or a few times over the past few years.” Scheffler referenced the early days of the FedExCup, noting, “In terms of when it first got started you had a year where I think it was Padraig Harrington won two majors and maybe didn’t make the BMW, and I know he didn’t make this tournament. So arguably it wasn’t really a great set-up then.”

Scheffler acknowledged the excitement that the current system brings, saying, “I think it provides a little bit of volatility, which is good for the fans, and I think it’s also good for some players that didn’t have their best years leading up to the Playoffs, and all of a sudden turn a year that’s not their best into somewhat of a career year in terms of winning the FedExCup.”

To address any concerns about the format, Scheffler offered a simple solution: “A lot of volatility, but at the end of the day, golf is golf. The easiest way to solve an issue that you don’t like in the game of golf is to play better. That’s really all it comes down to in our game. At the end of the day, if you play good enough golf, it will take care of itself.”

Since the format change in 2019, no player who started the Tour Championship at the top of the leaderboard has gone on to win the title. Despite this, Scheffler remains optimistic and recognizes the opportunity before him. “It’s obviously everybody’s goal at the beginning of the year to have a chance, and going in the first spot, no better opportunity than where I’m sitting,” he admitted.