This week, the PGA Tour kicked off the FedEx Cup Playoffs at TPC Southwind in Tenn., beginning with the St. Jude Championship. With most of the field having finished their round, Hideki Matsuyama is tied atop the leaderboard with Denny McCarthy at 11-under.
Following his second round 6-under 64, Matsuyama was asked what went well Friday. He was on-brand and kept it brief.
“I guess the long answer is I missed a short putt there at 2, knocked it in the water at 4, but from that point on, I really played well and putted well.”
However, his response to his thoughts on the structure of the FedEx Cup Playoffs caught people's attention. Matsuyama pointed to the pink elephant in the room, referencing current world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, per the Official World Golf Rankings.
“I like the system, especially where I am at… I don't know if unfair is the right word, but Scottie deserves to be much further ahead than just two strokes there at the TOUR Championship. With that in mind, it's tough for him, I think. But for me, I'm enjoying it.”
Therein lies the rub. What is a perceived disadvantage to Scheffler is helpful to everyone else chasing him.
Hideki Matsuyama aware of FedEx Cup Playoff problem
Scheffler is having an other-worldly season. Scheffler won his second Masters Tournament, as well as five other events. That includes four PGA Tour Signature Events, which consists of only the best players on tour.
He holds a nearly 2,000 point lead on Xander Schauffele for second place in the FedEx Cup standings with just under 6,000 points. Everyone else is at least 3,500 points behind. Essentially, he has lapped the field.
Yet, he will hold just a slim advantage at the Tour Championship in two weeks. Scheffler will begin the tournament at 10-under par, with other golfers getting progressively fewer strokes to begin the tournament.
One of the men close enough to snatch the Tour Championship from him is Matsuyama. He is having a great season in his own right. Matsuyama won the Genesis Invitational and has five top-10s. His performance thus far this week has moved him from eighth to third in the FedEx Cup standings.
That would put him within just a few shots of Scheffler at East Lake in Atlanta. Understandably, he is a fan of the system right now. But it might not matter with how well Scheffler is playing.
Once again, he is contending on the PGA Tour. Scheffler posted a 5-under 65 Friday, closing with three birdies in his final four holes. He is two shots back of Matsuyama and McCarthy in solo fourth entering the weekend.
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