Collin Morikawa called the FedEx Cup playoffs “a grind,” and the three-week, season-ending event begins Thursday with the St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis.
The top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings — minus No. 2 Rory McIlroy (more on that later) — will play this week before the field is cut to 50 for the BMW Championship at Owings Mills, Maryland. From there, the 30 players in the standings will compete at the Tour Championship in Atlanta for the FedEx Cup title.
Morikawa finished second at the 2024 FedEx Cup final, with a 22-under score that was best in the field. Scottie Scheffler took home the $25 million first prize because his minus-10 starting score gave him a final score of 30 under par, compared with minus-26 for Morikawa.
The format including starting strokes has been abandoned this year, with every player beginning at even par and the Tour Championship winner determined strictly by the lowest 72-hole score.
Morikawa, who tees off Thursday at 10:05 a.m. PT, hopes to rediscover the rhythm that allowed him to come so close to the FedEx Cup title a year ago. He is No 6 in the official world golf rankings but enters this three-week gauntlet at just No. 19 in the FedEx Cup standings.
“Where I’m at, where I’m sitting, you’ve got to make sure you survive and advance,” he told the Golf Channel this week.
Actually, Morikawa is safe for at least a week. Every player from No. 24 and above has mathematically clinched a spot in the top 50 and a berth at the BMW, according to NBC Sports.
But to continue through to eventually reach Atlanta, Morikawa will have to smooth out his game.
He missed the cut at his two more recent events — the Scottish Open and the Open Championships at Royal Portrush — and hasn’t won since October 2023.
Starting this week, the stakes are higher.
“Every shot matters because it comes down to points, it comes down to a shot,” he said. “You just can’t be willing to give out any of that because at the end of the day you want to make it to the end.”
