FedEx Cup Standings: Can anyone catch Scottie Scheffler?

As we approach the halfway point of the current PGA season, the FedEx Cup standings are beginning to take shape and the leaders are slowly separating themselves from the rest of the pack.

There are plenty of familiar names currently near the top of the standings, including a few first-time names enjoying breakout seasons. The big question that is on everyone’s mind though, is can anyone catch Scottie Scheffler?

Scheffler, the current World No. 1, is in the midst of a historic season, thanks to 4 victories and 10 top-25 finishes, all this still with the back-half of the season left to be played. Thanks to his notable victories at the Masters, WGC-Dell Match Play, Arnold Palmer, and WM Phoenix Open, the American leads the FedEx Cup Standings at 2788 points, over a thousand points more than anyone else on Tour. With the way that he’s been playing, with his 69.76 Scoring Average (5th on Tour) and 71.26 GIR (4th on Tour), it’s tough to imagine anyone climbing the standings and getting close enough to Scheffler to make things interesting. But, just for fun, let’s take a closer look at who could potentially make a run at the Masters winner.

Who can make a charge up the FedEx Cup standings and challenge Scheffler?

*Each winner on Tour receives between 500-600 FedEx Cup Points

Sam Burns: 1552 points

Burns is enjoying a breakout season, as the 25-year-old American has 2 victories so far this season at the Valspar Championship and the Sanderson Farms Championship. A few missed cuts have hurt him, but his 6 top-10 finishes currently rank 2nd on Tour. If Burns can tweak his game off the tee (111th on Tour in Driving Accuracy), then he may have a chance to win a few more tournaments this year.

Cameron Smith: 1544 points

The young Australian is slowly becoming one of the most consistent players on Tour, ranking 1st on Tour in Scoring Average (69.338) and 2nd in Total Strokes Gained (1.892). Smith’s impressive victory at the PLAYERS Championship proved that he can perform in the clutch, so a few more of those types of victories would definitely increase his chances of closing in on Scheffler’s point total.

Patrick Cantlay: 1410 points

I was a bit surprised to see Cantlay so high on the FedEx Cup points list, but the American has quietly had an excellent season. Cantlay’s only victory this season came at the Zurich Classic with fellow American Xander Schauffele, but recent 2nd place finishes at both the RBC Heritage and the WM Phoenix Open have helped his cause greatly. Cantlay possesses one of the best all-around games on Tour, but he will need to close out a few more tournaments if he wants a chance at that No. 1 spot.

These three golfers will need a dominating second-half of the season in order to make Scheffler a little bit nervous. They will need some big victories and will need to avoid missed cuts, as each precious point will count down the line. With the PGA Championship on the near horizon, there are plenty of opportunities in the weeks ahead to gain some crucial ground on the American.