Scheffler Heads Five of 2024’s PGA Tour Season’s Highlights
Another golf season and another FedEx Cup has wrapped up in Atlanta. Fans have witnessed the most dominating year by a golfer since the Tiger Woods era. At the start of September, $25 million went to FedEx Cup winner Scottie Scheffler courtesy of a performance that was in keeping with his 2024 PGA Tour season.
Scottie Scheffler has won over $60 million throughout the season, leading people to question how he would compare with Tiger Woods in his pomp. ©GettyImages
Scheffler finished -20 over the four rounds at East Lake Golf Club. Without his starting strokes handicap, the score would only have been good enough for a third-place Tour Championship finish. However, his ten-stroke start meant the American got the job done with a four-stroke victory.
Are Tweaks Needed to Cup Format?
In a much-changed format, the FedEx Cup handicap system stayed in place for 2024. Two thousand points to the winner of the first two events (quadruple points of regular season events) in the Playoffs was arguably unfair to Scottie Scheffler.
Keegan Bradley jumped from 50th to fourth place in the FedEx Cup after winning the BMW Championship, and the likes of Adam Scott had a good chance to win. Out of nowhere, Russell Henley and Sahith Theegala ended up in the top four of the FedEx Cup, so some tweaks may be needed.
The Signature Events, Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5 proved successful. There were several player changes from the top 30 who qualified for last year’s Tour Championship, including nine East Lake debutants.
A record nine Europeans also made it to the Atlanta course courtesy of the new PGA Tour cards on offer for the top 10 in the Race to Dubai standings not otherwise exempt. This article will look at the highlights, the most inspirational players and five of the most memorable moments of the 2024 PGA Tour season.
Scottie Scheffler wins FedEx Cup
Scheffler, the clear favourite with the UK’s golf betting sites, went into the Tour Championship arguing that a two-shot head start over second place and his stroke advantage over the rest of the field following a season in which he dominated was an unfair one.
Who could disagree? Amongst his closest challengers ahead of the Tour Championship were the likes of Collin Morikawa and Adam Scott. Arguably, both had a mediocre albeit consistent season.
Scheffler admitted that it was a very nervy week, especially as he had gone into the Tour Championship as No.1 twice before and been usurped. Nevertheless, the world number one brushed his rivals aside like he had done all season and won with ease.
In terms of the stats, the Texas-based player led all the most important ones in the tee-to-green department. They propelled the new golfing phenomenon to seven PGA Tour wins, the most in one season since Tiger Woods in 2006.
The 28-year-old recorded sixteen top-ten finishes and won an Olympic gold medal to put the icing on the cake. It would have been a travesty to see anyone other than Scottie take down the 2024 FedEx Cup. He has won over $60 million throughout the season, leading people to question how he would compare with Tiger Woods in his pomp.
Xander Schauffele Becomes Double Major Winner
Xander Schauffele had become a perennial bridesmaid on the PGA Tour. He had been one of the most consistent players on the roster with several top-ten finishes and second places, but a couple of years came and went that saw the American with a German father go without a win.
The Genesis Scottish Open in 2022 was the last taste of victory for the Olympic Gold Medallist. After building a massive lead over Rory McIlroy in the Wells Fargo Championship Signature Event, Xander would capitulate on Sunday and record another runner-up finish.
But who knew what was about to happen? The major-less maiden would play arguably his best four rounds of golf at Valhalla to lift the PGA Championship title just one week later on a total of 21-under par. Winning breathes confidence, and he would double his major trophy tally at the Open Championship in Royal Troon just two months later.
Xander is now ranked the No. 2 player in the world behind Scottie Scheffler and finished in a tie for fourth in the FedEx Cup.
Matthieu Pavon Wins at Torrey Pines
Matthieu Pavon struggled somewhat with his golf game a few years ago but has turned things around with aplomb. The Frenchman clawed his way back to be a dominant force on the European Tour in 2023 with a victory at the Open de Espana and earned one of 10 PGA Tour Cards for the 2024 season.
His rise did not stop there, as he won at one of the most challenging courses and in one of the best fields of the season. Pavon was to capture the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, becoming the first Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour. He would then advance to East Lake’s Tour Championship in 2024 and eventually finish tied 17 in the FedEx Cup.
End of my Rookie Year on the @PGATOUR ! What an incredible year! Making it to the @TOURChamp 🔥 Thanks to all my team for the hard work we put together! Thank you all for the tremendous support. @DPWorldTour here I come 🚀✌🏼
— Matthieu Pavon (@matthieupavon) September 2, 2024
Keegan Bradley Wins BMW Championship
What a difference a year can make! Keegan Bradley ended last year at an all-time low. After competing on several leaderboards during the closing stages of Ryder Cup qualifying, winning the ZOZO Championship at the back end of 2022 and lifting the trophy at the Travelers Championship in 2023, he should have been a pick for Captain Zach Johnson alongside Lucas Glover, who was also unlucky to miss out. Bradley was ignored, and Team Europe battered the US.
It could not have been a more different year for Keegan, who won the BMW Championship, which was the second of the three Playoff events. The result propelled the American from sneaking into Castle Pines on the bubble in 50th place up to fourth in the rankings with a solid chance to win the 2024 FedEx Cup.
Bradley had been appointed 2025 US Ryder Cup Team Captain just a month before and was also pencilled in as vice-captain for Jim Fuyrk’s President’s Cup side in 2024. Keegan now faces a dilemma, as he may have a potential playing berth in both events.
Ludvig Aberg Makes Waves in Full Debut Season
Aberg, a man with a huge future in golf, broke onto the PGA Tour via his collegiate performances and topped the PGA Tour University rankings. He held the number one spot in the world amateur rankings for 29 weeks. It did not take the big Swede long to make waves in the golf world, winning on the PGA and DP World Tours at the back end of the 2023 season.
This earned Aberg a call-up into the European Ryder Cup team. The Swede already has four runner-ups and 12 top-ten finishes on the PGA Tour and has amassed over $10 million in earnings on that side of the pond. In the 2024 season, he ranked number one in the “Total Driving” stats on the PGA tour, ahead of Scottie and Rory McIlroy.
The 24-year-old finished runner-up in The Masters, complementing his 12th-place finish at the US Open. The 24-year-old prodigy had two other second-place finishes and ranked 16th in the 2024 FedEx Cup standings.
