Scottie Scheffler ripped into LIV Golf for the season format, explaining what he still can’t figure out.
The LIV Golf season finale is a battle between two title rivals in the individual championship, but that won’t mean it’s the end of the season. After Joaquin Niemann and Jon Rahm battle it out at The Club at Chatham Hills, the Team Championship still needs to be decided.
It’s confusing from a narrative standpoint. Once a winner has been crowned, having the players take to the course again to attempt to win the team title is an anti-climax. World number one Scottie Scheffler compared LIV Golf to the PGA Tour, admitting he couldn’t get his head around what LIV are trying to do.
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesScottie Scheffler rips LIV Golf’s season format
The PGA Tour have made significant changes to its playoff format. Instead of having the FedEx Cup standings leader enter the final event with a stroke advantage, everyone starts each playoff event on level strokes in one-off events.
Justin Rose won the St. Jude Championship in the first playoff event, marking a dramatic finish, but questions are now being raised about whether the FedEx Cup winner is a true, season-long tournament champion.
While defending the new format, Scheffler criticised LIV Golf’s season finale. He said, “Look at what LIV is doing with their final tournament. I tried to read about it the other day – I still can’t figure out what they’re trying to do with the final tournament.”
Reporter Ryan Lavner critiqued LIV Golf’s format earlier in the week, too. Niemann has won a record five events this season, and Rahm is winless, yet Rahm can still win the title.
Both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have set up their competitions to result in a climactic finale.
Scheffler explained why the FedEx Cup winner is still the season-long champion, despite the lack of strokes advantage.
Scottie Scheffler defends PGA Tour playoff format
The top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings after the BMW Championship will fight for the Tour Championship at East Lake, and the winner will be crowned FedEx Cup champion.
That’s less of a nod to a player’s regular season efforts due to the changes, but Scheffler believes it’s still a season-long award due to how you have to play to make the Tour Championship in the first place.
He said, “It’s a great trophy at the end of the year. Normally, to win the FedEx Cup, you have to be one of the 30 best players for the entire year, and you’ve got to show up at East Lake and have a great tournament.”
He is the man who should feel most hard done by. Scheffler won The Open Championship and the PGA Championship on his way to finishing the year as the highest-ranked player in the FedEx Cup.
Instead, he appreciates what the Tour is trying to do. He continued, “You’re trying to strike a balance between rewarding great play in the regular season and rewarding great play in the playoffs. In order to win the FedEx Cup, you have to put together a significant body of work.
“For you to qualify for the Tour Championship, especially without winning a tournament, means you’ve had a great, consistent year. That’s your body of work.”
Scheffler put together a Tiger Woods-esque season this year. No one disputes that he has had the best season of any player. He’ll still be the favourite to win the Tour Championship, and he’s playing well at the BMW Championship too.
Maybe he wins at East Lake, and this whole conversation was for nothing. But if he doesn’t, that trophy won’t feel right in anyone else’s hands this season.
