Scottie Scheffler steadily climbs into contention at FedEx St. Jude Championship

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Scottie Scheffler’s hands are an underrated aspect of his game. Many marvel at his ball-striking statistics, and for good reason, but his short game minimizes the penalty for his rare mistakes.

Scheffler ranks eighth in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green this season, and those same hands that execute deft chips and pitches were helpful for a different reason on one of the final holes of his second round at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. When he arrived at his tee shot in the 16th fairway, a bug lay on his ball. When it didn’t immediately fly away, he removed it with a grasp so gentle that no one was hurt in the process.

“It was entertaining because I grabbed both of its wings very gently,” Scheffler said. “I was able to grab it off the ball and it was trying to flutter as I had it by its wings so you could kind of feel it moving. I just wanted to make sure I put it away from my ball so it wouldn't be going back on my ball.”

Scheffler seemed proud of the accomplishment, laughing as he showed it to caddie Ted Scott. The incident did not interrupt Scheffler’s run of three consecutive birdies at the end of his day, one that put Scheffler in contention for yet another PGA TOUR title.

Scheffler has won six PGA TOUR events this year, as well as an Olympic gold medal. Now he’s two shots off the lead at the FedEx St. Jude Championship after shooting 66-65 (-9) in the opening two rounds. He’s two behind co-leaders Denny McCarthy (66-63) and Hideki Matsuyama (65-64) and trails his roommate this week, Sam Burns (67-63), by one.

Burns and Scheffler’s wife, Meredith, watched Scheffler tee off on No. 18 from the patio of their shared rental home. Burns was holding the Schefflers’ baby, Bennett, as well. Scheffler had just made his third consecutive birdie, and had one last look at 18 before his 10-footer slid by the hole.

He’s had plenty of opportunities this week, exhibiting the ball control that sets him apart from his peers. It’s especially important this week at the course that has seen the most water balls in the ShotLink era, approximately 1,000 more than the famously penal TPC Sawgrass.

Scheffler is in the top five of both Driving Accuracy (21 of 28) and Greens In Regulation (27 of 36) this week. When he has missed the green, he’s failed to get up and down just once (8 of 9). His one bogey, which came on the 13th hole Thursday, is tied for the fewest in the field. He never put himself in serious trouble, and never was in danger of making a big number on one of the TOUR’s most penal venues. He’s gained approximately 1.4 strokes on the greens this week, enough to complement his strong ball striking.

“Today it's just nice to have a clean card,” Scheffler said. “No bogeys, did a good job of having some nice up-and-downs to kind of keep the momentum and the round going. I holed a nice putt for par early in the round on 5 and then I had a couple nice chips after that getting it close to the hole making what could have been a stressful par into a pretty stress-free par with some nice pitches. Overall it was a pretty good day.”

Scheffler played the first two rounds alongside Xander Schauffele, his closest pursuer in the FedExCup standings and winner of two majors in 2024. They were separated by just a single shot over the tournament’s first 27 holes, but Scheffler beat him by five on the back nine. Scheffler birdied Nos. 15-17 and shot 3 under, while Schauffele’s 2-over 37 included a double at the par-4 12th, where he hit his tee shot into the water, and bogey at the final hole.

Schauffele’s struggles mean Scheffler is on pace to only grow his FedExCup lead. It’s all but certain that he will arrive at the TOUR Championship in the FedExCup’s pole position for a third consecutive year. Scheffler entered this week with a 1,936-point lead over Schauffele; the winner each of the next two weeks earns 2,000 points.

A FedExCup is the only thing left for Scheffler to accomplish this year. Despite his success over the last three seasons – his 12 wins include two PLAYERS and a pair of Masters titles – he has yet to win the TOUR’s season-long title. He lost a six-shot lead to Rory McIlroy in the final round two years ago, and shot just 1-under par for 72 holes at East Lake in 2023.

The third time may be a charm. Scheffler’s FedExCup quest is off to a strong start.