For those of a certain age, the legendary radio commentator Paul Harvey spun tales that often had a twist at the end, prompting his familiar tagline, “And now, for the rest of the story.”
That’s where the PGA Tour finds itself this week, the FedEx Cup playoffs beginning a sweaty three-week run at TPC Southwind in Memphis, offering the “rest of the story” conclusion to a season still in search of a defining storyline.
Is Scottie Scheffler the player of the year again despite just one victory? Or is it Cameron Young? Or Matt Fitzpatrick? Or someone else?
Two weeks from now, the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta will have yet another format, this time a 72-hole tournament for 30 players minus the weighted scoring system and having dispensed with the accumulated points. Four rounds with a $10 million prize to the winner.
And more discussion about what the season-ending format will look like in 2028 when so much is set to change.
In the meantime, Scheffler returns after a two-week break while Rory McIlroy makes his first start since the Open Championship, set to play all three playoff events after skipping the Memphis stop last year.
“Obviously I want to play well, but it’s also a good week to just see where my game is, do a lot of practice, or as much as I can in the heat,” said McIlroy, who has two top-10 finishes in six starts since winning his second straight Masters in April.
“I think it’s important to be here. It’s the tour’s playoffs, and I think it’s important for all the players to be here. I’ve had some good conversations with (tour CEO) Brian Rolapp over the last couple weeks. I think it’s important for me to be here and show support.”
Even with three playoff starts, McIlroy will fall one event shy of meeting the tour’s 15-start minimum this year. The tour, however, is not expected to penalize McIlroy for not meeting the requirement this year. He has said previously that he doesn’t plan to play as many events on the PGA Tour in the future though he is still expected to play a relatively busy schedule.
Among the changes under consideration beginning in 2028 is restructuring the playoff format while potentially moving events away from the swampy heat in Memphis, St. Louis (this year) and Atlanta in August. This year, however, temperatures are expected to be in the low to mid 90s through the playoffs.
“I almost try to view the playoffs as one big, long tournament, like a 12-round event. You’ve got to pace yourself. It’s three long weeks. We’re going from here to St. Louis to Atlanta. Every week is going to feel a bit like this. It’s going to be hot and sweaty. So you want to be able to conserve energy as well,” said McIlroy, the only three-time winner of the FedEx Cup.
“I’ve been lucky enough to do pretty well on these things over the years. So try to add another one to the list.”
The heat is a real thing. Defending champion Justin Rose said he is considering using an umbrella to shield himself from the baking sun this week.
“It’s like 20 degrees cooler under the umbrella. I think especially as the week cranks up towards 100 degrees on the weekend, that might be something I will do, which is something I haven’t done before, to be honest with you, but I used it in the practice round and it definitely made a difference,” Rose said.
As challenging as it may be, McIlroy said he’s played in worse.
“I’ve played a lot in like Southeast Asia, like at the start of my career. So Singapore, Malaysia. There’s been times where it’s just been absolutely miserable,” McIlroy said.
“This is hot here, but it’s not like the humidity that you get in some of those places [that] is just next level. This is bearable compared to some places.”
A victory during the playoffs could be enough to secure a fifth consecutive player of the year award for Scheffler. Then again, Young, Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark and Chris Gotterup can bolster their cases during the playoffs.
Scheffler, who lives in Dallas, has finished in the top five in 11 of his 17 starts and is among the leaders in each of the primary statistical categories. He finished second at the 3M Open, his most recent start, his fifth runner-up of the season.
A victory during the playoffs could be enough to secure a fifth consecutive player of the year award for Scheffler. Then again, Young, Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark and Chris Gotterup can bolster their cases during the playoffs.
“Objectively there’s no one that really stands out, but subjectively it depends what you value,” McIlroy said.
“So if you value winning the biggest tournaments, you would say it could be Cameron Young and Wyndham Clark in terms of one won the Players, one won the U.S. Open. Obviously Matt Fitzpatrick has had a great year. Scottie’s had an unbelievably consistent year without the wins that he’s had the last couple years.
“Again, it all depends on what you value, I guess. I value like the bigger tournaments and guys having the bigger moments.”