Golf Glance: FedExCup playoffs begin; LIV returns to Chicago

PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Wyndham Championship (Cameron Young)
THIS WEEK: FedEx St. Jude Championship, Memphis, Aug. 7-10
Course: TPC Southwind (Par 70, 7,288 Yards)
Purse: $20M (Winner: $3.6M)
Defending Champion: Hideki Matsuyama
FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday: 12-2 p.m. (GC), 2-6 p.m. (NBC)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Sunday: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. ET
X: @FedExChamp
NOTES: The top 70 players in the FedExCup standings qualified for the first playoff event, with only No. 2 Rory McIlroy opting not to play this week. The top 50 after this week will advance to the BMW Championship, with the top 30 after that event qualifying for the season-ending Tour Championship. … This is the fourth time TPC Southwind has played host to the event. … Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau are tied for the longest active streaks, having qualified for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. … Daniel Berger qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2021. … Aldrich Potgieter at No. 43 in the FedExCup, is the only one of the 35 rookies this season to advance to the playoffs. … Chris Kirk was the lone player to move into the Top 70 last week, jumping from No. 73 to No. 61 with a T5 at the Wyndham.
TOP 50 BUBBLE: Tom Hoge (No. 40), Matt Fitzpatrick (No. 41), Schauffele (No. 42), Potgieter (No. 43), Harry Hall (No. 44), Akshay Bhatia (No. 45), Si Woo Kim (No. 46), Jake Knapp (No. 47), Jordan Spieth (No. 48), Wyndham Clark (No. 49), Min Woo Lee (No. 50), J.T. Poston (No. 51), Kurt Kitayama (No. 52), Bud Cauley (No. 53), Joe Highsmith (No. 54), Aaron Rai (No. 55), Jhonattan Vegas (No. 56), Max Greyserman (No. 57), Stephan Jaeger (No. 58), Mackenzie Hughes (No. 59) and Finau (No. 60).
BEST BETS: Scottie Scheffler (+280 at DraftKings) is coming off his win at The Open as he attempts to become the first back-to-back winner of the FedExCup. … Schauffele (+1800) has yet to win this season, but has consecutive top-10s entering this week and needs a solid result to advance to the BMW. … Tommy Fleetwood (+2200) has yet to win a stroke play event on U.S. soil, but does have 12 top-25s in 16 starts this season, including a runner-up at the Travelers. … Justin Thomas (+2500) had a win at the RBC Heritage among seven top-10s in 17 starts this season. … Matt Fitzpatrick (+2800) has been in excellent form with a pair of T4s and a pair of T8s in his past four starts. … Sepp Straka (+4000) lost in a playoff here in 2022 and is already a multiple-time winner on tour this year.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: BMW Championship, Owings Mills, Md., Aug. 14-17
LPGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: AIG Women’s Open (Miyu Yamashita)
THIS WEEK: OFF.
Race to the CME Globe leader: Jeeno Thitikul
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Portland Classic, Aug. 14-17
LIV GOLF LEAGUE
LAST TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf UK (Individual: Joaquin Niemann; Team: Legion XIII)
THIS WEEK: LIV Golf Chicago, Aug. 8-10
Course: Bolingbrook Golf Club (Par 71, 7,224 Yards)
Purse: Individual $20M (Winner: $4M); Team: $5M (Winners: $3M)
Defending Champions: Individual: Jon Rahm; Team: Crushers GC
Season Leaders: Individual: Joaquin Niemann; Team: Legion XIII
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV/Streaming: Friday: 12:05 p.m. ET (FOX, LIV Golf Plus); Saturday: 1:05 p.m. ET (FOX, LIV Golf Plus); Sunday: 10:05 a.m. ET (FOX, LIV Golf Plus)
X: @livgolf_league
NOTES: This is the 12th of 13 events on the 2025 schedule, which will be followed by the Team Championship Aug. 22-24 in Michigan. … Rahm won by three strokes over Niemann at Bolingbrook last year. … The field consists of 13 four-player teams competing in daily shotgun starts over 54 holes. Each team’s top three scores are counted for each round. … Niemann is the only player with multiple individual titles this season, having won five of the first 11 events, and leads the all-time LIV list with seven. … Legion XIII has won eight of its first 21 tournaments and has reached the podium five other times.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf Indianapolis, Aug. 15-17
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
LAST TOURNAMENT: ISPS Handa Senior Open (Padraig Harrington)
THIS WEEK: Boeing Classic, Snoqualmie, Wash., Aug. 8-10
Course: The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge (Par 72, 7,217 Yards)
Purse: $2.3M (Winner: $345,000)
Defending Champion: Stephen Ames
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Miguel Angel Jimenez
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Friday: 10 p.m.-Midnight ET (Golf Channel – Tape Delay); Saturday: 6-8 p.m. (GC); Sunday: 4-7 p.m. (GC)
X: @BoeingClassic
NOTES: The 78-player field will be competing in a 54-hole event. … Ames is the two-time defending champion, having tied the tournament scoring record of 19-under 197 in 2023 that was first set by Jerry Kelly in 2017. … Seattle native Fred Couples is joined in the field by fellow World Golf Hall of Fame members Ernie Els and Vijay Singh.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Rogers Charity Classic, Calgary, Aug. 15-17