PGA Tour postseason commences in Memphis
The PGA Tour’s postseason is set to commence in Memphis with the FedEx St. Jude Championship. This event marks the opening of the 2026 FedExCup Playoffs, bringing together leading players from the FedExCup race. The tournament will be held at TPC Southwind from August 13-16, offering a substantial $20 million purse and 750 FedExCup points.
The field for the championship is determined by the FedExCup standings following the conclusion of the regular season at the Wyndham Championship. This setup creates a high-stakes environment as golfers aim to prolong their seasons and advance further into the playoffs.
Key players and notable returns
The championship field boasts significant star power, with Scottie Scheffler leading the lineup. Scheffler enters the playoffs as the No. 1 player in the FedExCup standings. Despite securing only one victory this season, he has achieved runner-up finishes five times, including his most recent outing at the 3M Open.
Rory McIlroy is slated to return to TPC Southwind, having not participated in the tournament last year. The Masters champion has not competed since The Open Championship and enters the postseason outside the top 10 in the standings, a first for him since 2021. Defending FedExCup champion Tommy Fleetwood starts the playoffs at No. 9, following a consistent summer performance.
Justin Rose will also be in Memphis, looking to defend his FedEx St. Jude Championship title. Rose secured his victory in a playoff last year. Historically, no player has successfully defended the tournament since its inclusion in the FedExCup Playoffs in 2007.
The field for the opening playoff event includes a diverse group of players:
- Scottie Scheffler
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Wyndham Clark
- Chris Gotterup
- Collin Morikawa
- Si Woo Kim
- Sam Burns
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Ludvig Åberg
- Xander Schauffele
- Rory McIlroy
- Jacob Bridgeman
- Akshay Bhatia
- Russell Henley
- Ryan Gerard
- Min Woo Lee
- Kristoffer Reitan
- Alex Fitzpatrick
- Hideki Matsuyama
- J.J. Spaun
- Ryan Fox
- Viktor Hovland
- Justin Rose
- Alex Smalley
- Tom Kim
- Gary Woodland
- Rickie Fowler
- Adam Scott
- J.T. Poston
- Robert MacIntyre
- Nicolai Højgaard
- Kurt Kitayama
- Bud Cauley
- Aaron Rai
- Ben Griffin
- Sepp Straka
- Michael Thorbjornsen
- Jake Knapp
- Nico Echavarria
- Patrick Cantlay
- Ryo Hisatsune
- Sahith Theegala
- Eric Cole
- Alex Noren
- Michael Brennan
- Matt McCarty
- Keith Mitchell
- Maverick McNealy
- Harris English
- Max Homa
- Sungjae Im
- Jordan Spieth
- Sam Stevens
- Pierceson Coody
- Sudarshan Yellamaraju
- Harry Hall
- Corey Conners
- Michael Kim
- Shane Lowry
- Nick Taylor
- Brian Harman
- Patrick Rodgers
- Aldrich Potgieter
- Ricky Castillo
- Matti Schmid
- Jackson Koivun
Withdrawals and players needing strong performances
While 70 players qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs, only 69 will compete at TPC Southwind. Daniel Berger, who concluded the regular season at No. 60 in the FedExCup standings, will not participate in the FedEx St. Jude Championship due to an injury. Berger had faced difficulties in the latter part of the season, missing the cut in four of his last five regular-season starts. His withdrawal will not lead to another golfer being added to the field, as the PGA Tour does not utilize an alternate list for playoff events. Berger’s absence also eliminates his chance to advance to the BMW Championship. The FedEx St. Jude Championship operates without a cut, with the top 50 players in the FedExCup standings after Sunday progressing to the second round of the playoffs.
Jordan Spieth enters the FedExCup Playoffs in an unusual position. He is reportedly the only player within the top 70 of the standings who has not recorded a top-10 finish this season. Despite this, the three-time major champion accumulated enough points to reach Memphis at No. 54 in the standings. However, he will require a strong performance at TPC Southwind to keep his season alive. Spieth, a 13-time PGA Tour winner, has not secured a victory since the 2022 RBC Heritage. He has 93 career top-10 finishes but has yet to add one in 2026.
Photographers are on-site at the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship, capturing the action for this initial event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Various equipment setups are being observed, including those of players like Shane Lowry, Michael Thorbjornsen, Harry Hall, Kurt Kitayama, Pierceson Coody, Sepp Straka, and Max Homa.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
