Scottie Scheffler Wins 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship by Eight Shots: World No. 1 Back to Dominant Form in Memphis

Scottie Scheffler is back, and the rest of the PGA Tour has reason to be nervous. The world number one put on a masterclass at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, winning the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship by eight shots and reminding everyone why he has held the top spot in the world ranking for the better part of two years. The victory was his 21st career PGA Tour title and his second of the season, and the manner in which he won it was more significant than the margin.

Scheffler carded rounds of 68, 61, 68, and 66 to finish at 17-under 263, a total that left the field in his wake. The second-round 61, which tied the course record at TPC Southwind, was the round that separated Scheffler from the pack, but it was the Sunday 66 that put an exclamation point on the week. He turned a two-shot overnight lead into an eight-shot rout, and the final round was more coronation than competition.

The performance we have been waiting to see all year finally arrived this weekend. Scheffler has been consistently good throughout the 2026 season, but the dominant, tournament-winning Scheffler that defined his 2024 and 2025 campaigns had been conspicuously absent. That version of Scheffler showed up in Memphis, and the result was a performance that had the golf world buzzing about what the rest of the season might hold.

This was the fifth time in Schefflers career that he has won a PGA Tour event by five or more strokes, and the eight-shot margin was the largest on tour this season. The combination of ball-striking, putting, and course management that Scheffler displayed over four rounds was the kind of complete performance that separates great players from good ones, and it sent a clear message to the rest of the tour that the world number one is rounding into form at exactly the right time.

Si Woo Kim finished as the runner-up at 9-under 271, a full eight shots behind Scheffler but good enough for solo second. Kim carded rounds of 70, 68, 65, and 68, and his third-round 65 was one of the best rounds of the week outside of Schefflers 61. Kim has been one of the most consistent players on tour this season, and the solo second finish moved him up in the FedEx Cup standings.

Alex Noren and Sam Burns shared third place at 8-under 272. Burns, who was Schefflers final-round playing partner, carded a third-round 62 that was the low round of the week aside from Schefflers 61. However, Burns faltered on Sunday with a 73 that dropped him from contention. Noren was steady throughout the week, carding rounds of 71, 66, 66, and 69, and his tie for third was one of his best finishes of the season.

Wyndham Clark and Sungjae Im shared fifth place at 7-under 273. Clark carded rounds of 69, 66, 70, and 68, while Im went 66, 66, 67, and 74. Ims final-round 74 was a disappointment after three excellent rounds, but the tie for fifth was still a solid result for the South Korean, who has been one of the most consistent players on tour over the past two seasons.

One of the biggest stories of the week was the elimination of Jordan Spieth from the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Spieth entered the week 54th in the standings and needed a strong finish to advance to the next playoff event. Instead, he was among the 20 players eliminated following the St. Jude Championship, and his season came to a premature end.

Spieths elimination was a bitter pill for a player who expressed optimism about the 2026 season at last years Wyndham Championship. Next year is going to be a really good year for me, I can feel it. It is all coming along, Spieth said at the time. A year later, in Memphis, Spieth delivered a similar message of optimism despite the disappointing result, a familiar refrain for a player who has been searching for the form that made him a three-time major champion.

The FedEx St. Jude Championship is the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and the top 70 players in the standings qualified for the tournament. Following the event, the field was reduced to 50 players who advanced to the BMW Championship, the second playoff event. The top 30 after the BMW Championship will qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake, where the FedEx Cup champion will be crowned.

For Scheffler, the victory in Memphis was a statement. The world number one has been close to this kind of form all season, but the putter had not quite cooperated. In Memphis, everything clicked, and the result was the kind of dominant performance that has become his signature. With the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship still to come, Scheffler is positioning himself for a run at the FedEx Cup title, and if he maintains the form he showed at TPC Southwind, the rest of the field will be playing for second.

The PGA Tour now moves to the BMW Championship, where the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings will compete for a spot in the season-ending Tour Championship. Scheffler will be the favorite, but the field is loaded with talent, and the pressure of the playoffs has a way of producing unexpected results. One thing is certain: the world number one is back to his best, and that is bad news for everyone else.