The FedEx St. Jude Championship returns to TPC Southwind this week. Scottie Scheffler leads the field, with his +1.0 strokes gained in approach proving decisive on this layout.
Source: NWS forecast (Memphis, TN) as of August 11, 2026. Conditions subject to change.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship will feature the top 70 players in FedExCup standings. The 2026 event marks the fifth playing at TPC Southwind. Daniel Berger qualified at No. 60 but did not commit due to injury, creating a 69-player field. Following this week’s tournament, the top 50 players advance to next week’s BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. Those same 50 players also qualify for all 2027 Signature Events.
The first two Playoffs events award 750 FedExCup points to the winner. All players compete to climb inside the top 30 of the standings and qualify for the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club. The FedExCup Champion will be crowned at East Lake.
Eight FedExCup Champions compete in this field: Rory McIlroy (2016, 2019, 2022), Jordan Spieth (2015), Justin Thomas (2017), Justin Rose (2018), Patrick Cantlay (2021), Viktor Hovland (2023), Scottie Scheffler (2024), and Tommy Fleetwood (2025). Three past champions of the FedEx St. Jude Championship also qualified: Adam Scott (2013), Hideki Matsuyama (2024), and Justin Rose (2025). Two winners of previous events at TPC Southwind compete: Justin Thomas (2020 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational) and Harris English (2013 FedEx St. Jude Classic).
Reigning FedExCup Champion Tommy Fleetwood (No. 9) seeks to become the first back-to-back FedExCup winner. Jordan Spieth (No. 54), the 2015 FedExCup Champion, seeks his first BMW Championship appearance since 2023. Spieth posted four top-15 finishes in 2026, highlighted by a pair of T11 finishes (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Valspar Championship).
With 4,123 FedExCup points, Scottie Scheffler enters with a 794-point lead over Matt Fitzpatrick. Scheffler holds a 966-point advantage over Cameron Young (No. 3). No player in the field this week can overtake No. 1 Scottie Scheffler with a win this week.
Si Woo Kim (No. 7) is the highest-ranked player in the FedExCup standings without a victory this season on TOUR. Kim has 10 top-10s in 21 starts this season, highlighted by a pair of runner-up finishes (Farmers Insurance Open, THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson).
Xander Schauffele (No. 11) has qualified for the TOUR Championship in eight consecutive seasons entering the FedExCup Playoffs. This represents the longest active streak on TOUR. Tony Finau did not qualify for the 2026 FedExCup Playoffs, snapping his streak of eight consecutive seasons.
The event has had 20 playoffs in tournament history, including three of the last four since the event shifted to TPC Southwind (2022, 2023, 2025). The FedEx St. Jude Championship has only had one first-time TOUR winner in the past 20 years (Will Zalatoris, 2022). Eight of the last nine winners on TOUR were in their 20s, with the last three being 25 and younger (Jackson Koivun/21, Michael Thorbjornsen/24, Michael Brennan/24).
Five PGA TOUR rookies qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs: Kristoffer Reitan (No. 18), Alex Fitzpatrick (No. 19), Sudarshan Yellamaraju (No. 57), Jordan Smith (No. 64), and Jackson Koivun (No. 70).
Of the eight first-time winners in 2026, seven qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs. Jacob Bridgeman won The Genesis Invitational; Ricky Castillo won the Puerto Rico Open; Alex Fitzpatrick won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans; Kristoffer Reitan won the Truist Championship; Bud Cauley won the RBC Canadian Open; Jackson Koivun won the 3M Open; Michael Thorbjornsen won the Rocket Classic. Stefano Mazzoli (Corales Puntacana Championship) did not qualify for the Playoffs.
Nine PGA TOUR University alumni advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs: Chris Gotterup (No. 5), Ludvig Aberg (No. 10), Jacob Bridgeman (No. 13), Alex Fitzpatrick (No. 19), Michael Thorbjornsen (No. 38), Michael Brennan (No. 47), Pierceson Coody (No. 56), Ricky Castillo (No. 68), and Jackson Koivun (No. 70).
At No. 70 in the FedExCup standings, Jackson Koivun marks the first PGA TOUR University No. 1 or PGA TOUR University Accelerated graduate to advance to the FedExCup Playoffs in the same season he accepted membership.
Source: PGA TOUR Media
Michael Brennan, 24, earned his second PGA TOUR title at last week’s Wyndham Championship. His other victory came at the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship.
Brennan entered the Wyndham Championship at No. 105 in the FedExCup standings. The win propelled him to No. 47 in the standings. He became the only player to qualify for the Playoffs this season after entering the Wyndham Championship outside the top 70.
Brennan became the third consecutive winner on TOUR under the age of 25. Jackson Koivun won the 3M Open at age 21. Michael Thorbjornsen won the Rocket Classic at age 24.
Brennan makes his FedExCup Playoffs debut in his second season on TOUR.
This season, Brennan owns five top-25 finishes and two top-10s in 23 starts. He won the Wyndham Championship and finished T6 at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Brennan finished No. 12 in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking after four seasons at Wake Forest University from 2020-24. He earned eight individual victories at Wake Forest, tied for third most in program history at the time.
Brennan topped the 2025 PGA TOUR Americas Points List to earn Korn Ferry Tour exempt status for the 2026 season. He won the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship as a sponsor exemption. The victory earned him a two-year PGA TOUR exemption.
| Year | Finish | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | -16 |
| 2024 | T22 | -6 |
| 2023 | T20 | -8 |
| 2022 | CUT | +6 |
| 2020 | T25 | -11 |
Justin Rose won the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship, defeating J.J. Spaun with a birdie-3 on the third playoff hole at No. 18. The 2018 FedExCup Champion will make his 19th FedExCup Playoffs appearance in 20 seasons of the FedExCup era. The 2020-21 season marked his only time failing to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007.
Rose earned his 13th career PGA TOUR title earlier this season at the Farmers Insurance Open, winning in wire-to-wire fashion. He sits No. 24 in the FedExCup standings and No. 12 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
| Year | Finish | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | T3 | -15 |
| 2024 | 4 | -14 |
| 2023 | T31 | -6 |
| 2022 | CUT | -1 |
| 2021 | T43 | -7 |
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler makes his seventh consecutive start at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He has recorded three top-five finishes at this event: T4 in 2020, 4th in 2024, and T3 in 2025.
Scheffler is a 20-time PGA TOUR winner in search of a second victory of the season at The American Express. He finished runner-up to 21-year-old Jackson Koivun in his most recent start at the 3M Open.
Scheffler enters the week with 16 top-25 finishes in 17 starts this season. He has recorded only one missed cut on the season at the Genesis Scottish Open.
Scheffler leads the TOUR in Strokes Gained: Total at 2.251. His Scoring Average ranks first at 68.08. He leads the TOUR in Official Money with $16,911,275.
| Year | Finish | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | T68 | +9 |
| 2023 | T3 | -14 |
| 2022 | CUT | -1 |
| 2021 | T43 | -7 |
| 2020 | T65 | -2 |
Rory McIlroy arrives at the FedEx St. Jude Championship as World No. 2, making his 13th start at this event and his first since 2024 (best: T3/2023).
McIlroy stands as a 30-time PGA TOUR winner, holding the most wins of any player in the field. Scottie Scheffler follows with 20 wins.
This season, McIlroy has recorded four top-10s in 11 starts. He won the Masters Tournament, finished T2 at The Genesis Invitational, T7 at the PGA Championship, and T7 at the Genesis Scottish Open.
McIlroy became the most recent player to defend a title on TOUR, doing so at the 2026 Masters Tournament.
The Northern Irishman has extended his winning streak to nine consecutive seasons, the longest active streak on TOUR. He seeks his fifth consecutive season with multiple PGA TOUR titles. He posted 3 wins in 2021-22, 2 wins in 2022-23, 2 wins in 2024, and 3 wins in 2025.
McIlroy remains the only player with three FedExCup titles (2016, 2019, 2022).