Despite starting atop the TOUR Championship leaderboard for two consecutive years, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler doesn't believe East Lake's staggered format is the optimal way to decide the season's top player.
"I wouldn't say that it is the best format to identify the best golfer for the year," Scheffler said Wednesday, per ESPN's Mark Schlabach. "Jon Rahm played some of the best golf of anybody this year and he's coming into this tournament fourth and he's 4 shots back. And, in theory, he could have won 20 times this year and he would only have a 2-shot lead."
In an effort to ensure the FedEx Cup and TOUR Championship winners are the same, the tournament's staggered leaderboard was introduced in 2019. It's based entirely on points earned throughout the season and predetermines scores before the start of the event.
As 2023's top point-earner, Scheffler will begin the season finale at 10-under. Viktor Hovland begins Thursday at 8-under, while Rory McIlroy and Rahm round out the top four at 7-under and 6-under, respectively.
"I mean, I get it," Scheffler said. "It's made for TV. It may be more exciting for the fans to have this type of format. But as players I think it's not the best identifier of who is playing the best throughout the year. But with that being said, I'm starting this week with a 2-shot lead and, I mean, I'm not complaining about it."
This week's winner will be crowned the 2023 season champion and earn a whopping $18-million bonus.
Scheffler entered last year's final round with a 6-shot lead, but was chased down by McIlroy, who became the first player ever with three FedEx Cup titles.
