SCHEFFLER WINS SECOND FEDEX CUP, MCILROY TIED FOURTH
Scottie Scheffler won the Tour Championship at East Lake to win his second FedEx Cup (Photo: PGA Tour/Getty)
Scottie Scheffler produced a brilliant final-round fightback at East Lake to win the Tour Championship and claim the FedEx Cup for the second time, while Rory McIlroy finished tied fourth.
The world number one overturned a three-shot deficit to Viktor Hovland with a closing four-under-par 66, finishing at 16 under and three shots clear of the Norwegian.
It was a fitting conclusion to another remarkable season for Scheffler, although the victory was secured in very different circumstances to his first FedEx Cup triumph in 2024.
With the PGA Tour having abandoned the controversial starting-strokes system, all 30 players began this year's Tour Championship from level par. Scheffler therefore had to earn the title the hard way, chasing down Hovland over the final 18 holes.
Scheffler made an immediate statement, nearly holing his approach at the second before tapping in for birdie. Hovland, meanwhile, dropped a shot at the first, instantly reducing the deficit and setting the tone for a compelling final round.
Further birdies at the fourth and eighth kept Scheffler firmly in contention before he took control with a birdie at the 13th.
A bogey at the 14th briefly allowed Hovland to draw level, but Scheffler responded in emphatic fashion. He birdied the 16th to move two clear before Hovland's hopes finally disappeared at the 17th, where a wayward approach led to another bogey.
Hovland signed for a two-over 72 and finished alone in second at 13 under, while Ryan Gerard was third at 12 under.
Scheffler's victory was his third of the 2026 PGA Tour season and came after a period in which he had been consistently close to winning without always converting those opportunities.
Reflecting on the triumph, Scheffler admitted that his own expectations had made some of those near-misses particularly difficult.
“I feel like I hold myself to a high standard,” Scheffler said. “Sometimes that can be good and bad. I don't take tournaments off. I don't take days off during tournaments. I try to give it my all each and every day.”
The victory also moved Scheffler beyond Tiger Woods as the PGA Tour's all-time leading career money winner, with the $10 million first prize taking his career earnings beyond the previous benchmark.
For McIlroy, the season ended with a respectable tie for fourth. The Northern Ireland star carded rounds of 68, 69, 63 and 69 to finish at 11 under, five shots behind Scheffler. His spectacular third-round 63 briefly put him into contention for a fourth FedEx Cup title, but he could not maintain that momentum during Sunday's closing round.
McIlroy had already acknowledged Scheffler's extraordinary consistency before the finale, declaring: “No, I'm not the player of the year. No chance. Scottie is.”
That assessment proved difficult to dispute.
Scheffler may not have dominated every week in the manner he has in previous seasons, but his consistency, resilience and ability to deliver when the pressure was greatest ultimately secured another FedEx Cup crown.
And at East Lake, when the season came down to one final test, the world's best player once again found a way to finish on top.