29 Aug 2024 | Professional golf |
Aussies on Tour: Scott's scenario to win FedEx Cup
by Tony Webeck
Aussie Adam Scott will be forced to make up the same deficit world No.1 Scottie Scheffler gives up at his home club in Dallas if he is to scoop the $US25 million bounty on offer at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Scott is the only Australian in the field for the PGA TOUR season finale, the 44-year-old rocketing to 14th in the FedEx Cup standings and 21st in the Official World Golf Rankings on the back of three runner-up finishes in the past month.
But under the format of the FedEx Cup, Scott will start the opening round on Friday morning seven strokes back of Scheffler, the world No.1 pegged at 10-under par before a ball is struck at East Lake Golf Club.
The only Australian to win the Tour Championship, Scott will need to produce something extraordinary to climb from his starting position of 3-under par and hold the trophy aloft for a second time on Sunday.
And in an ominous warning to Scott and the other 28 players in the field hoping to unseat him, Scheffler said that “more often than not” he gets the better of those who he gives up seven shots to in a single round at Royal Oaks Country Club.
“At home I’m typically playing to a plus-7,” Scheffler revealed.
“I used to be a plus-5. They moved me to a plus-7. So now we’ve got guys in the group that are getting like two strokes a hole.
“I typically still will win more often than not, I feel like, but it’s just fun.
“If you’re going out there with a 12, 13 handicap you don’t know what the heck is going to happen.
“If I’m at home, pretty much either Friday or Saturday, I’m playing with somebody that I’m giving 20 strokes. I think we’re up to 20 strokes now. And he takes them all.”
Yet to win the FedEx Cup, this year marks the third time in succession that Scheffler has entered the Tour Championship ahead of the pack.
Although he hasn’t been able to convert the past two years, he is bullish about his prospects of making it eight wins on the season.
“This is the best opportunity that I’ll have in my career probably to win a golf tournament,” said the Masters and Olympic champion.
“I’m starting two strokes ahead of second place. That’s a pretty cool place to be, really.”
Opportunities abound also for Aussies around the globe this week.
Webex Players Series Hunter Valley champion Daniel Gale has received an invitation to play this week’s Betfred British Masters on the DP World Tour while Cassie Porter can further her claims for promotion to the LPGA Tour at the Epson Tour’s Four Winds Invitational.
At the tournament where fellow Aussie Gabriela Ruffels wrapped up her LPGA Tour card 12 months ago, Porter arrives at South Bend, Indiana fifth on the Race For The Card standings.
With just five events left in the season to determine the top 15 who will receive LPGA status, a strong showing could be enough to push Porter over the line.
Rookie Connor McDade has received an invite to join 17 other Aussies in the field for the Asian Tour’s Mandiri Indonesia Open and world No.7 Hannah Green leads a six-strong Australian contingent at the inaugural FM Championship on the LPGA Tour.
Photo: Kevin C Cox/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
PGA TOUR TOUR Championship East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia 2:49am Adam Scott
Defending champion: Viktor Hovland Past Aussie winners: Adam Scott (2006) Prize money: $US100 million TV times: Live 1am-8am Friday, Saturday; Live 2am-9am Sunday; Live 1am-8am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England 4:30pm Jason Scrivener 6:20pm* Haydn Barron 6:30pm Sam Jones (NZ) 9:30pm* Daniel Gale 10pm Daniel Hillier (NZ) 11:20pm David Micheluzzi
Defending champion: Daniel Hillier Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1979), Greg Norman (1982), Robert Allenby (1996) Prize money: $US3.5 million TV times: Live 9:30pm-1am Thursday on Fox Sports 503; Live 9:30pm-3am Friday; Live 9:30pm-2:30am Saturday; Live 9pm-2am Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour FM Championship TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts 2:37am Robyn Choi 2:37am* Hira Naveed 2:59am Hannah Green 3:10am* Grace Kim 3:32am Stephanie Kyriacou 4:16am Sarah Jane Smith
Defending champion: Inaugural event Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: $US3.8 million TV times: Live 5:30am-8:30am Friday, Saturday; Live 4:30am-7:30am Sunday; Live 3:30am-6:30am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Asian Tour Mandiri Indonesia Open Damai Indah Golf (PIK Cse), Indonesia 9:40am Sam Brazel 9:40am* Marcus Fraser 10:30am Maverick Antcliff 10:40am Deyen Lawson 10:50am Louis Dobbelaar 10:50am* Connor McDade 11am* Denzel Ieremia (NZ) 11:10am Harrison Crowe 2:10pm Jordan Zunic 2:20pm Lachlan Barker 2:20pm* Douglas Klein 2:30pm Todd Sinnott 2:40pm Scott Hend 2:40pm* Kevin Yuan 2:50pm* Jack Thompson 3pm Travis Smyth 3pm* Andrew Dodt 3:10pm Brendan Jones 3:20pm* Aaron Wilkin 3:30pm* Justin Warren
Defending champion: Nitithorn Thippong Past Aussie winners: Terry Gale (1984), Craig Parry (1997), Nick Cullen (2012) Prize money: $US500,000
Japan Golf Tour Fujisankei Classic Fujizakura Country Club, Yamanashi 8:30am Anthony Quayle 12:50pm* Brad Kennedy 1:25pm Michael Hendry (NZ)
Defending champion: Takumi Kanaya Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1973, 1974), Paul Sheehan (2004) Prize money: ¥110 million
Ladies European Tour KPMG Women’s Irish Open Carton House (The O’Meara Cse), Ireland Australasians in the field: Whitney Hillier, Kirsten Rudgeley, Momoka Kobori (NZ), Kelsey Bennett, Amy Walsh
Defending champion: Smilla Tarning Soenderby Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: €400,000 TV times: Live 1am-4am Friday, Saturday; Live 12:30am-2am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR Americas CRMC Championship Craguns Legacy Course, Brainerd, Minnesota 10:30pm* Harry Hillier (NZ) 11pm Grant Booth 4:40am* Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: $US225,000
Challenge Tour Rosa Challenge Tour Rosa Golf Club, Konopiska, Poland 3:30pm Andrew Martin 4:20pm* Connor McKinney 8:30pm* Hayden Hopewell 9:20pm* Blake Windred
Defending champion: Inaugural event Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: €270,000
LET Access Series Get Golfing Women’s Golf Championship The Club at Mill Green, England Australasians in the field: Kristalle Blum, Stephanie Bunque, Wenyung Keh (NZ), Munchin Keh (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: €80,000
Epson Tour Four Winds Invitational South Bend Country Club, South Bend, Indiana 10:11pm* Su Oh 10:44pm Fiona Xu (NZ) 3:45am* Amelia Garvey (NZ) 3:56am* Cassie Porter 4:29am Maddison Hinson-Tolchard
Defending champion: Gabriela Ruffels Past Aussie winners: Julia Boland (2012), Gabriela Ruffels (2024) Prize money: $US262,500
Korean PGA Tour Lexus Masters A1 Country Club, Korea 7:50am Sungjin Yeo (NZ) 8:50am Kevin Chun (NZ) 9:20am Wonjoon Lee 9:30am Changgi Lee (NZ) 12:30pm Junseok Lee
Defending champion: Inaugural event Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: KRW1 billion
Legends Tour HSBC India Legends Championship hosted by Jeev Milkha Singh Jaypee Greens, Delhi Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Michael Long (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: $US500,000
Sunshine Tour Gary and Vivienne Player Challenge Kyalami Country Club, Midrand, South Africa 7:30pm Austin Bautista Defending champion: Gerhard Pepler Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: R2 million
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