Scottie Scheffler’s 61 gives the FedEx Cup playoffs a much-needed jolt

The PGA Tour’s playoffs received a necessary burst of energy Friday, as Scottie Scheffler’s play could only be matched by the temperatures in Memphis.

Scheffler shot a 61 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, walking off the golf course at TPC Southwind with a three-shot lead during the first event of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Battling temperatures that rose to triple digits Friday afternoon, which led to sweat drenching the back of Scheffler’s polo shirt, he stormed out to six birdies in his first seven holes and shared the lead with Sungjae Im. Four more birdies between Nos. 13-17 got him to 11 under par for the week, three ahead of Im. Scheffler had 11 birdies in his round.

“Really just a dream start,” Scheffler told reporters. “Probably one of the best starts I’ve had on Tour, to be honest with you. I couldn’t tell you a time where I’ve been lower early in the round.”

Bogeys at the par-3 8th and par-4 12th prevented any run at a sub-60 score, but it’s Scheffler’s best round since he shot a 60 during the second round at the Travelers Championship in June. That was the last time he held a solo lead at the end of a round, before losing to Viktor Hovland in a Monday playoff.

The No. 1 player in the world leads the season-long FedEx Cup standings despite not winning since The American Express in January. It’s the longest he’s gone between victories since 2023, when he won The Players Championship in March and was held out of the winner’s circle until the Hero World Challenge in December.

“My swing has felt really good the past couple weeks, especially playing at home. It was nice to get out there and get things rolling early in the round and was able to keep the momentum going and shoot myself a nice round today,” Scheffler said.

The FedEx Cup playoffs have long struggled for visibility, with the PGA Tour trying various approaches over the years to capture the interest of fans — and players. Rory McIlroy, who played alongside Scheffler the last two days, skipped last year’s St. Jude Championship, knowing he would move to the second round regardless.

Seventy players qualified for the St. Jude Championship, with the top 50 advancing to the BMW Championship next week. The top 30 compete at the Tour Championship, with the best player that week taking home the trophy and $10 million.

Scheffler has never won in Memphis, the rare PGA Tour venue that can say it’s stood up to the 30-year-old with four major championships and 19 PGA Tour victories.

This story will be updated.