Wyndham Clark speaks on PGA Tour’s FedEx playoff format giving Scottie Scheffler a lead: “Going to be very tough”
Wyndham Clark discussed the unique format of the FedEx Cup playoffs as he prepared to head into the weekend rounds of the Tour Championship. The PGA Tour players teed off at this week's Tour Championship, which began on August 29.
The tournament features a starting strokes format, meaning players start with scores based on their FedEx Cup rankings. Since Scottie Scheffler topped the rankings after the BMW Championship, he began the Tour Championship with a score of 10-under par.
Moreover, the World No. 1 maintained his dominance in the first two rounds of the Tour Championship and holds a four-stroke lead heading into the weekend rounds. Wyndham Clark opened up about the unique format of the FedEx Cup playoffs, which gave Scheffler an initial lead. After two rounds, Clark is tied for 4th place with a score of 12-under par, trailing Scheffler by nine strokes as he prepares for the third round.
Speaking about the big margin, the former U.S. Open winner admitted that it would be "tough" for him to catch Scheffler, stating (via ASAP Sports):
"It's going to be very tough to catch up with him. He'd have to not play his best and I'd have to play unbelievable. But there's still a lot of great things to finishing second, third or fourth, or fifth even. I'm still chasing after that top spot, but like I said, I need some help. But a good round tomorrow, if I go shoot something 6-, 7-, 8-under, maybe he shoots even par and we're right in it."
Scottie Scheffler shot a 6-under 65 in the first round of the 2024 Tour Championship and followed it up with a 5-under 66 in the second round, bringing his total to 21-under par. Collin Morikawa holds second place on the leaderboard with a score of 17-under par, followed by Xander Schauffele in third place at 16-under par.
Wyndham Clark shares insights on his "mindset" while playing in the season-ending Tour Championship
During the post-round press conference after the second round of the 2024 Tour Championship, Wyndham Clark was asked by a reporter about his mindset or approach heading into the final event of the year.
"Final event of the year; is there any difference in mindset or approach of just kind of go for it or just play regularly?" the reporter asked.
In response, Clark revealed that he plans to "play regular" and hopes to improve his game during the weekend rounds of the Tour Championship. He said (via ASAP Sports):
"Just play regular. In some things maybe, but maybe comes tomorrow and Sunday, depending on if there's some spacing between guys, maybe you go for it a little bit more to try and catch up. But like I said, there's still a lot on the line for top finishes. I think you still play pretty regular."
Wyndham Clark will tee off for the third round of the Tour Championship in a group with Adam Scott at 2:33 p.m. EDT. Meanwhile, second-round leader Scottie Scheffler will tee off at 2:55 p.m. EDT alongside Collin Morikawa.