The FedEx Cup playoffs are now upon the golfing world, and this week’s St Jude Championship could be the most important four days of action.
The FedEx Cup top 70 have now advanced to TPC Southwind in Memphis as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele return to action.
Scheffler, of course, is in pole position heading into the end-of-season finale and coming off a memorable gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
There are also those heading straight to Memphis from the Wyndham Championship, where Aaron Rai sealed his first PGA Tour win in eventful circumstances. With light fading on Sunday, Matt Kuchar angered fans after he walked off the course and opted to return on Monday morning to conclude his round.
Thankfully, Kuchar’s antics didn’t impact the result. Now, all eyes are on TPC Southwind, which is arguably the most important event of the season.
St Jude Championship holds added PGA Tour significance this week
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After this week’s event, the FedEx Cup top 50 will be decided, and in turn, those who will feature in the eight Signature Events next season.
This is a point reiterated by Ryan Lavner and Rex Hoggard on the Golf Channel Podcast.
Lavner said: “In my opinion, this is the most important FedEx Cup event. Where the top 50 after this week’s tournament is going to get signature events for 2025. Yes, everyone focuses on the FedEx Cup finale. That’s essentially making multi-millionaires even richer; this one, though, can change careers.”
Hoggard also reiterated the importance of this week’s event: “I was on a plane with a tour executive coming home from Paris, and we were talking about Memphis (St Jude), and that’s really the week that matters now.”
“You have to give Memphis and FedEx the nod here because they’ve created a tournament sort of out of thin air that was a playoff event but didn’t have this kind of pressure. We know now that the top 50 is the magic number. Getting from Memphis to the BMW is the one that counts the most. Yes, getting in the top 70 this week was big.
“But it is a bigger jump getting into the BMW just based on what it’s going to give you next year. If you are inside that top 50, you can essentially create your own schedule. You have to play so bad to play your way out of it.”
Why PGA Tour signature events are so important
Those who place in the top 50 and book their spot in the eight Signature Events will, in turn, safeguard their long-term PGA Tour future.
The Memorial, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship, etc., all provide players with the chance to earn increased FedEx Cup points and prize money. Reaching the top 50 can quite literally be career-defining.
Ahead of the St Jude Championship, the big names trying to breach the top 50 include Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland and Min Woo Lee. Those just inside the dotted line and at risk of falling out include Tom Kim, Adam Scott and Will Zalatoris.
After this week’s event, there could end up being some big names missing out on the last two events of the season and denting their Signature Event ambitions.
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