American Scottie Scheffler has to accept that his large lead in the season ranking (Fedex Cup) on the PGA tour has been transformed into a two-stroke lead over second-placed Xander Schauffele, USA.
Scheffler starts the final tournament on East Lake, in Atlanta, Georgia, at 10 strokes under par, but all 30 players in the field have a mathematical chance of winning the overall title and the first prize of approximately 255 million kronor.
"It's great"
The format was introduced in 2019 and American Scheffler has directed criticism at the layout.
For the time being, you can't really call it a season-long battle when everything boils down to a single stroke play on the same golf course every year, said Scheffler two weeks ago.
Swedish world number four Ludvig Åberg has a different opinion.
It's like any other sport in the USA where you have a regular season and a playoff. I think it's great, says Åberg ahead of the tour final.
Åberg finished fifth on the Fedex Cup ranking and starts the tournament at –5, but the fact that he is behind four competitors already when he hits his first golf shot does not change his approach to the game.
It's still a 72-hole golf tournament. You still have to play very good, aggressive golf if you want to have a chance to win.
He made his professional debut in June last year and has experienced 15 crazy months with, among other things, two wins in Europe and the USA, a debut in the Ryder Cup team, a second place in his major debut in the US Masters, and Olympic Games.
When I look back, I think the highlight was the Ryder Cup. Being part of Europe's team was fantastic. It was cool and something I'll never forget.
Landlord tired of Åberg?
After the tour final in Atlanta, Åberg, who had knee problems in the spring, will have some time off. Then, a move may also become relevant.
Åberg has been living with his friend and tour colleague Vincent Norrman and his girlfriend Frida Kinhult, a professional on the LPGA tour, in their house in Florida for some time.
We're looking around a bit. I think "Vinny" (Norrman), my landlord, is a bit tired of me, says Ludvig Åberg with a smile.
Åberg starts the first round at 19.38, Swedish time, on Thursday and plays with Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland (–4).
The top 30 on the Fedex Cup ranking qualify for the PGA tour's final tournament from Thursday to Sunday. The ranking is now used to give the top players an advantage over the others in the starting field.
Leader Scottie Scheffler, USA, starts at 10 strokes under par. Second-placed Xander Schauffele begins at –8, third-placed Hideki Matsuyama, Japan, at –7, fourth-placed Kegan Bradley, USA, at –6, and fifth-placed Ludvig Åberg, Sweden, starts at –5.
Players ranked 6–10 start at –4 and so on. Players ranked 26–30 start at par. Through this format, the winner of the tour final will also be the winner of the entire playoffs.
The winner takes home a check of approximately 255 million kronor (25 million dollars). A second place gives 127 million kronor (12.5 million dollars) and a third place gives 76 million kronor (7.5 million dollars). The player who finishes 30th and last receives 5.6 million kronor (550,000 dollars).
Note: The Swedish sums are rounded to whole numbers. Exchange rate from August 28, where 1 dollar corresponds to approximately 10.12 kronor.
Sources: PGA tour and Golf Digest
