The FedExCup Playoffs are underway, and the FedEx St Jude Championship has already produced a major weekend story.
Scottie Scheffler took control of the tournament after a record-level second round at TPC Southwind in Memphis. The World No. 1 shot a 9-under 61 on Friday. His score matched the course record and gave him a three-shot lead.
For golf fans in the UAE and across the Middle East, the final two rounds are now the main event. Scheffler will start the weekend at 11 under par and will look to protect his lead.
The FedEx St Jude Championship is the first of three events in the FedExCup Playoffs. The tournament runs from Aug. 13 to Aug. 16 at TPC Southwind. The course is a par-70 layout that measures 7,288 yards.
Only the top 70 players in the FedExCup standings earned a place in the field. There is no cut after 36 holes. That means every player who started the event will play all four rounds.
The stakes are still high. Only the top 50 players in the FedExCup standings after Sunday will move on to the BMW Championship. The field will then fall to 30 players for the Tour Championship.
The FedEx St Jude Championship has a $20 million purse. The winner will receive $3.6 million and 750 FedExCup points. Those points match the total available at the Players Championship and the four major championships.
Justin Rose is the defending champion. He won the 2025 event after beating J.J. Spaun in a playoff. Tommy Fleetwood is also in the field as the 2025 FedExCup champion.
Scheffler entered the week as the FedExCup points leader. He opened the tournament with a 4-under 66 on Thursday. That left him tied for fifth after the first round.
Five players shared the first-round lead at 5 under. Jordan Spieth, Michael Thorbjornsen, Kurt Kitayama, Jake Knapp and Michael Kim all started well.
Friday changed the picture.
Scheffler made five birdies in his first six holes. He kept attacking the course and finished with 11 birdies and two bogeys over his first 36 holes. His 61 was the key moment of the tournament so far.
Scheffler also leads the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and Strokes Gained: Putting after two rounds. His ball striking and putting have both been strong.
Sungjae Im and Viktor Hovland are tied for second at 8 under. They are three shots behind Scheffler.
Ludvig Åberg is fourth at 7 under. Spieth, Fleetwood, Nico Echavarria and Brian Harman are tied at 6 under.
Rory McIlroy has had a much harder week. He returned to the FedEx St Jude Championship after missing the event last year. He is 4 over par after rounds of 74 and 70.
For UAE viewers, the tournament is taking place in Memphis, so the live action falls into an evening viewing window in the UAE. Fans should check their local golf broadcaster or official PGA Tour listings for the exact Saturday and Sunday coverage times.
The final rounds will also decide more than the tournament winner. Players near the 50th place mark in the FedExCup standings are fighting to keep their seasons alive.
That makes the weekend important across the full leaderboard. Scheffler is chasing another major win, while players lower down the field are fighting for a place in the next playoff event.
With two rounds left, Scheffler has the advantage. But the FedExCup Playoffs can change quickly. The pressure will rise with every hole as players chase both the tournament title and a place in the next stage.
