• Written by Jake Lazarus

   

  MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the two best players in the world, will tee off side by side Thursday at TPC Southwind to open the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

  For McIlroy, a three-time FedExCup champion, this week is just one leg of a longer race.

  “I almost try to view the Playoffs as one big, long tournament, like a 12-round event,” McIlroy said Wednesday. “I’ve been lucky enough to do pretty well on these things over the years, so I’ll try to add another one to the list.”

   

  McIlroy sits 12th in the FedExCup standings with his spot at East Lake already secure, freeing him to fine-tune rather than force anything this week. He arrived in Memphis early and hit 101 balls on the range Monday, according to PGA TOUR’s Rangecast, working with longtime swing coach Michael Bannon on his body rotation.

  “Sometimes if I don’t turn enough, my right arm thrusts out the ways, instead of like down the line,” McIlroy said. “So just making sure my body rotation is enough to then feel like I can shake hands with the target, basically.”

  But he is in no rush to overwork himself in the brutal Memphis heat.

  “You’ve got to pace yourself,” McIlroy said. “It’s three long weeks. We’re going from here to St. Louis to Atlanta. … It’s going to be hot and sweaty. So you want to be able to conserve energy as well.”

  Scheffler, meanwhile, isn’t thinking about pacing – he’s thinking about getting a run at another FedExCup starting right at the FedEx St. Jude. The 2024 FedExCup champion returns to a course that has treated him well, having posted top-five finishes in each of his last two starts at TPC Southwind.

  “A lot of it is ball-striking around these places,” said Scheffler, who stands at No. 1 in the FedExCup. “You’ve got to hit a lot of fairways. When you’re in the fairway, you have good opportunity. The areas to hit in are really small, and I think that’s also what makes it a good golf course.”

  Scottie Scheffler on lessons learned from past starts at TPC Southwind

   

  On Tuesday, Justin Rose said TPC Southwind is “a course that needs respect,” and Scheffler shared that sentiment.

  “You’ve got to challenge a lot of these hazards,” Scheffler said. “There’s a lot of hazards on the golf course. If you start playing too safe, you’re going to be in the rough. If you get a little overaggressive, you’re going to be in the water. So I think this golf course really challenges you to execute often.”

  Scheffler and McIlroy will tee off together at 9:30 am. ET on Thursday morning, the first step in a three-week stretch that ends at East Lake.

  “It’s a busy three-week stretch, but I’m excited,” Scheffler said. “I had a couple good weeks of rest at home, and I’m looking forward to getting this week started.”