Scheffler scorches the field in Memphis
World No. 1 locks up top FedEx bonus; Whaley tops Leng at Merion; Fox enjoys claret jug
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Scottie Scheffler’s 8-shot margin of victory is the largest of his career (Ben Jared/PGA Tour via Getty Images)
Order is restored. Scottie Scheffler is a PGA Tour winner again, and a seventh-month odyssey is complete. The No. 1-ranked player in the world by a mile just cleaned up in Memphis and all is right in pro golf’s hierarchy.
Scheffler, 30, shot a final-round 66 at TPC Southwind to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship by a whopping eight shots over Si Woo Kim, marking his first victory since January’s American Express Championship in his first start of the year.
It was the largest victory margin of Scheffler’s career and ended an odd stretch of incredible golf that saw Scheffler finish runner-up five times and third twice more.
For anyone else, that is a career year. For Scheffler, it led to questions about what was wrong, a clear indication of the lofty standards he’s set since winning his first PGA Tour event in February of 2022 at the WM Phoenix Open. He now has 21 PGA Tour titles. Only Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods got to 21 victories quicker than Scheffler.
Also in today’s DD …
Whaley beats Leng at Merion, but both come away from U.S. Am big winners
This week in golf: Winther, Thitikul, Steelman and Cink
Ryan Fox returns to action after measuring the depth of the claret jug
LIV’s season will come to an abrupt premature end this week in Indianapolis
“It’s not easy to win out here. I felt like this year, the year that I’ve had kind of shows that, how difficult it is,” Scheffler said after finishing at 17-under par at TPC Southwind. “We have a lot of talented guys, and I played some really solid golf over the course of this year, but I hadn’t played much kind of great golf.
“Like I said, I had my close calls and lost a couple playoffs. So it was nice coming into a day in which I had the lead and be able to hold that lead and really kind of build on it as the round went on.
“I felt like a week like this was coming. I felt like I was on repeat all year just being like, hey, I’m playing solid. I’m close. It feels good to be answering some different questions at the end of this week.”
A victory was only in doubt for a short time when Scheffler’s bunker shot on the par-5 third hole landed on a sprinkler head, took a big hop and rolled through the green and into the water. It was likely to be within birdie-putt range, instead Scheffler had to scramble for a bogey.
“I was like, ‘Man, when is this going to stop happening?”’ Scheffler said.
But he quickly bounced back with consecutive birdies on the fifth and sixth holes. His playing partner and friend, Sam Burns, had no answers.
“I think everyone knew that coming into the day. I knew he was going to put a solid round together,” said Burns, who shot 73 and tied for third. “Honestly it was going to be really difficult — what did he finish, at 17 (under)?
“I would have had to play pretty much a perfect round of golf to have a chance today, and I didn’t come close to that. Yeah, he played exactly how I expected him to.”
Scheffler was aided by a second-round 61 in which he made 11 birdies on Friday.
The win was worth $3.6 million from the $20 million purse and enough FedEx Cup points to clinch a $23 million bonus that goes to the leader through next week’s BMW Championship. Nobody else can catch Scheffler, and he’ll be playing for pride at an event he won last year.
The FedEx St. Jude saw just one player move into the top 50 to qualify for next week’s BMW Championship (Sungjae Im) and one player fall out (Keith Mitchell). For the third straight year, Jordan Spieth failed to make it past the first playoff event, finishing 52nd in points after taking a share of the first-round lead on Thursday. He ended up in a tie for 19th.
Those who are headed to Bellerive next week are also now eligible for the nine signature events on the PGA Tour schedule in 2027. The top 30 players after the BMW advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake where the FedEx Cup title will go to the winner of the event.
With a second victory, Scheffler will undoubtedly now be in the conversation again for PGA Tour Player of the Year due to his amazing consistency.
“This is a lot better feeling than having a good statistical week,” he said.
The victory tied him with Davis Love III, Lanny Wadkins and Craig Wood for 32nd on the all-time PGA Tour victory list. Next up at 22 wins: Raymond Floyd, Jim Barnes and Johnny Ferrell.
A word from our sponsor …
The rest of this week’s Daily Drive newsletter will be brought to you by the Western Golf Association and the Evans Scholars Foundation, which has been sending caddies to college since 1930 — including one whose byline is atop this newsletter.
The WGA, which was founded in 1899, sponsors six golf tournaments, including this week’s BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club near St. Louis. The proceeds from the tournament benefit the foundation, which now sees more than 1,100 students attending 28 universities.
The tournament originated as the Western Open back in 1899, which was played the week prior to the U.S. Open and was won by Scotland’s Willie Smith at the Glen View Club in, appropriately, Golf, Illinois. In 2007 it became part of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs and was rebranded the BMW Championship.
Scottie Scheffler won last year’s tournament at Cave’s Valley in Maryland and will be part of the 50-player field that will play for $20 million, with the top 30 in points at the end advancing to next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake.
The Daily Drive will have on-site coverage from Bellerive this week as well as other news in the golf world including some WGA-specific content thanks to our sponsor.
England’s Jack Whaley wins the U.S. Amateur 4 and 3 over Jay Leng Jr. (Dustin Satloff/USGA)
This week in golf …
FedEx St Jude Championship: Scottie Scheffler shot a 4-under 66 on Sunday at TPC Southwind to finish 17-under par and eight shots better than runner-up Si Woo Kim, tying the largest victory margin in Scheffler’s tour career. It was Scheffler’s first win since his first start of the season at The American Express but the 21st of his career. Only Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus reached 21 wins quicker.
U.S. Amateur: England’s Jack Whaley rallied from a 2-down deficit at the lunch break to beat American Jay Leng Jr., 4 and 3, in the 36-hole final at Merion Golf Club. Whaley won holes 2-5 after lunch to go 2 up and built the lead to 3 up with birdies on 8 and 10. Whaley locks up a spot on the Great Britian & Ireland Walker Cup team while Leng got picked to join the U.S. team that defends its title next month at Lahinch in Ireland. Both earned invites to next year’s Masters.
Danish Golf Championship: Jeff Winther won his national tournament by shooting a 5-under 67 on Sunday to win by three strokes over a handful of guys including over fellow Dane Rasmus Højgaard. Højgaard chipped in for an eagle at the 17th hole to briefly tie him atop the leaderboard before Winther responded by making an eagle putt at the par-4 16th to move two shots ahead. Winther, 38, received a standing ovation as he played the par-3 18th where he secured his second win on the DP World Tour.
The Standard Portland Classic: World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand rallied with an 8-under 64 on Sunday at Columbia Edgewater CC to win by a shot over 54-hole leader Arpichaya Yubol and Chanettee Wannasaen. Thitikul stormed to the front playing the first 10 holes in 7-under including an eagle on No. 10 to take the lead.
Albertsons Boise Open: Ross Steelman shot his third straight 64 on Sunday to win for the first time on the Korn Ferry Tour, finishing 27-under par for the week and three shots better than Robby Shelton and Davis Shore. The win moved Steelman two spots to the top of the KFT points list and locked up his PGA Tour card for 2027 season.
Boeing Classic: Stewart Cink made birdie on the first playoff hole to beat Miguel Angel Jimenez at Snoqualmie Ridge to win for the fifth time on PGA Tour Champions in 2026.
Winner Jack Whaley (right) and runner-up Jay Leng Jr. will both get invites to next year’s Masters (Dustin Satloff/USGA)
Whaley cools down Leng to win U.S. Amateur
There were no losers on Sunday in the U.S. Amateur championship match at Merion Golf Club. Well, technically England’s Jack Whaley beat American Jay Leng Jr., 4 and 3, to put his name on the trophy of the oldest championship in American golf, but they were both playing with house money in the rain on Sunday.
The real pressure was on display Saturday in the semifinals, when they were all playing not just for the right to advance to the championship match but for an invitation to the Masters next April. Augusta National traditionally honors the finalists with an invite, provided they remain amateurs.
