Scottie Scheffler admits playing the week before Tour Championship not ideal
Scottie Scheffler at The Open
World number one Scottie Scheffler is taking nothing for granted as he gears up for the season-ending Tour Championship but admits in an ideal world he would have skipped the penultimate FedEx Cup event in Denver.
The American, whose seven victories this season include the Masters and an Olympic gold medal, has never won the FedEx Cup despite holding the number one spot heading into the PGA Tour's finale in each of the last two seasons.
Such has been his success this year he is guaranteed to be at least second in the overall running — and therefore due to start at East Lake next week at eight under due to the way the scoring is weighted — and so the BMW Championship will have little overall impact.
"I kind of figured out this year I don't love playing the week before a major championship," Scheffler told a press conference.
"And so with East Lake having so much importance in the season-long race if I was to truly look at my goal at the beginning of the year — to win at East Lake — this would be a week where I would consider maybe taking off, especially with the points lead that I have.
"But at the end of the day, I talk about not one trophy being much more important than another.
"I would love to win the FedEx Cup but I would also love to win this tournament. I've never won a play-off event before so that would be something that would be really cool to do."
A solo fourth-place finish would be enough to guarantee Scheffler top ranking, and a -10 starting score, next week.
The only player who can overtake him is Xander Schauffele, who has also had a stellar season with a double major breakthrough at the US PGA and Open Championship.
He needs to win in Colorado and hope Scheffler finishes joint fourth or worse. However, Scheffler has no intention of going through the motions this week.
"You have to play solid golf most of the season and then you have to have a really good play-offs," he added.
"The winner of the FedEx Cup played the best for these three weeks in the play-offs. Some years that would be the best player for the whole year and some years it won't.
"I feel like I did my job for the first 95 per cent of the year to be in a good position going into East Lake.
"I've been in a great place mentally but I wouldn't say it's easier to win. I think it's extremely challenging to win out here."
Only the top 30 in a 50-man field make the cut for East Lake so Olympic silver medallist Tommy Fleetwood (31st) and his England teammate in Paris Matt Fitzpatrick (36th) need good weeks.
