It felt inevitable.
When Scottie Scheffler shook off a fluky bogey on the third hole at TPC Southwind on Aug. 16 by birdiieing two of the next three, a feeling of predictability started blanketing the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
There was no way Scheffler, who walked off the course after the third round with a narrow two-stroke lead, would wilt. You just knew he wouldn’t be caught.
“I think everyone knew that coming into the day,” said Sam Burns, who finished in a tie for third place.
The question wasn’t whether Scheffler would win — only by how much. As it happens, his eight-stroke victory, a 17-under 263, over Si Woo Kim is the largest margin of victory on the PGA Tour this season.
Wondrous as it was, though, there is more than a tinge of bittersweetness to Scheffler’s masterpiece. That’s because everyone also knew going into the FedExCup Playoffs that once it was over, Memphis has only one more such star-studded event to look forward to: the 2027 FedEx St. Jude Championship. Only one more opportunity to put on a show with a level of prestige very few annual tournaments can match.
That’s because the PGA Tour, which will implement a new competitive structure in 2028 (featuring two tiers, the Championship Series and the Challenger Series, and a modified postseason format), has already confirmed Memphis will no longer host a playoff event and is not in consideration as a Championship Series stop.
The news did not go over well locally, of course. There was anger. Disappointment. Despair.
“This tournament has meant so much to the lifeblood of not only Memphis, but what FedEx has done for golf, as well,” legendary broadcaster Jim Nantz said during the nationally televised championship round.
But are we completely sure the door has closed? After all, there’s still time left on the clock.
After all, the PGA has not formally announced all of the sites for the 23 or 24 Championship Series events.
After all, Memphis has a long history with the tour, hosting a tournament every year since 1958.
And, according to first-year FedEx St. Jude Championship executive director Robert Miller, Memphis has never been such a hit. He wasn’t ready to share exact figures on Aug. 16, but he said all signs are pointing toward all-time highs in areas like ticket sales and attendance.
“It’s pretty good. Pretty (far) up there right now,” Miller said. “So, we’re excited about the numbers. The fans have responded.”
Is it a foregone conclusion that Memphis’ days of hosting the best golfers the planet has to offer on an annual basis are numbered? Perhaps not. Whispers began rippling around the course as the week played out that there may still be hope for Memphis yet. That what once felt as inevitable as Scheffler's win — Memphis being relegated to a Challenger Series event — may not actually be.
So, hope!
Whether it’s realistic or not is unlikely to be ferreted out anytime soon. One way or the other, the most we know for sure is that however the tournament looks in 2028, it won’t be nearly as hot. All indications are that it will be played earlier in the calendar, perhaps as early as March. A far cry, and a welcome one, from the miserable late-summer window and its sizzling frame.
But here’s to hope. Hope that the respective positions of the PGA Tour and FedEx can be walked back.
Hope that Memphis, and everything it represents, like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, has made enough of an impression on the decision-makers that they’re willing to reconsider.
Hope that the FedEx St. Jude Championship can pull a Scheffler by shaking this off and retaining its spot among the most prestigious events in golf.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Is it too late for PGA Tour to reconsider Memphis' fate? Here's to hope