With the major championship season done for another year, golf fans will be looking towards the FedEx Cup playoffs and the Ryder Cup before thoughts start to turn to 2026.
The PGA Tour could have hardly wished for a better major championship season, with two of their biggest stars winning three of the sport’s four biggest events. Of course, Rory McIlroy won The Masters while Scottie Scheffler clinched both the PGA Championship and The Open Championship.
It is a year of transition on the PGA Tour in many ways. The number of cards being automatically handed out is going to be reduced, while the Tour Championship has done away with the starting strokes as they seek to find the right format for the season finale.
There are now just two events before the FedEx Cup playoffs begin. And it seems that there are concerns that the tour may have a bit of a problem.
PGA Tour issued with a warning ahead of the FedEx Cup playoffs
With the change to the Tour Championship format, the most important task for most players is simply to be in the top 30 and secure their ticket to East Lake. Ultimately, it does not mean anything for the Tour Championship whether a player is 30th in the standings or first.
And with Scheffler just coming off a victory at Royal Portrush, Smylie Kaufman has told The Smylie Show that he could see a world where the world number one skips the FedEx St. Jude Championship, alongside Rory McIlroy.
“Do you think Scottie’s going to play Memphis? Because Rory’s not going to play Memphis. Blow it up, blow up the playoffs if Scottie and Rory both don’t play Memphis. You can’t have a playoff system if your two best players aren’t playing,” he said.
“Rory doesn’t play that golf course well in Memphis. It’s so hot. It doesn’t really mean anything in the grand scheme of things for him. He makes enough money. He just has to make it to East Lake because that’s all that matters, can you win the playoff at the end now? So he really doesn’t need to play BMW unless he wants to chase the different payout levels because guys are going to accumulate points.”
The events Scottie Scheffler played after The Open Championship in 2024
The good news for the PGA Tour is that a dramatic victory did not prevent Scheffler from playing all of the playoff events 12 months ago.
Of course, Scheffler followed his Open Championship performance by winning an Olympic gold medal in Paris last year. And that final day at Le Golf National could have hardly been more emotionally draining for the 29-year-old.
Scheffler also does not appear to be the kind of person who will make changes to his schedule off the back of one result. He has his processes and he is likely to stick to them unless a change is unavoidable.
So if he is planning to play in Memphis next month, then it would be a surprise if his victory in Northern Ireland prompted him to alter his plans – particularly as he will want to be ready for the Tour Championship now that there are no starting strokes.
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