Scheffler wins FedEx St. Jude by 8; Theegala, Bhatia, Rai reach BMW Championship

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Scheffler wins FedEx St. Jude by 8; Theegala, Bhatia, Rai reach BMW Championship

Synopsis

Scottie Scheffler's eight-shot romp in Memphis wasn't just another win — it mathematically locked up the FedEx Cup's top seed before the BMW Championship even begins. Meanwhile, three Indian-origin players punched their tickets to the next round on the strength of their season-long consistency, even as rookie Sudarshan Yellamaraju fell agonisingly short at 58th.

Key Takeaways

Scottie Scheffler won the FedEx St.
Jude Championship by eight shots , finishing at 17-under 263 at TPC Southwind , Memphis.
The victory is Scheffler's 21st PGA Tour title and his second of the 2025 season, extending his streak of multiple wins in five straight seasons .
Akshay Bhatia (15th), Aaron Rai (37th), and Sahith Theegala (46th) all advanced to the BMW Championship via the FedEx Cup standings.
Indo-Canadian rookie Sudarshan Yellamaraju finished 58th in the FedEx Cup standings — eight places short of the top-50 cut-off — and was eliminated.
Scheffler's FedEx Cup lead now stands at 1,447 points , mathematically securing him the top seed for the TOUR Championship .
Scheffler joined Tiger Woods , Ernie Els , Dustin Johnson , and Rory McIlroy as the only players in four decades with multiple PGA Tour wins by eight or more shots .

Scottie Scheffler delivered a commanding performance at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, winning by eight shots to claim his 21st PGA Tour title, while Sahith Theegala, Akshay Bhatia, and Aaron Rai — three of the four Indian-origin players in the field — secured their spots in the BMW Championship, the second leg of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup play-offs.

Scheffler's Dominant Victory

The world No. 1 closed with a four-under 66 at TPC Southwind to finish at 17-under 263, claiming his second title of the season after his win at The American Express in January. The victory extended his remarkable streak of winning multiple titles in five successive seasons.

Scheffler's lead was never seriously threatened, having built a commanding cushion with a brilliant second-round 61. Even a brief scare — when a bunker shot struck a sprinkler and rolled into water, briefly cutting his lead to one — was swiftly neutralised. He knocked an iron to within 10 feet and converted for birdie, then drained a 20-footer on the very next hole. Those back-to-back birdies effectively ended all comeback hopes.

With the eight-shot margin, Scheffler became only the fifth player in the last four decades to record multiple PGA Tour victories by eight or more shots, joining Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Dustin Johnson, and Rory McIlroy. South Korea's Si Woo Kim finished a distant second at nine-under after a closing 68, while Sam Burns and Alex Noren shared third at eight-under.

FedEx Cup Standings: Scheffler Locks Up Top Spot

Scheffler entered the week already 794 points clear of Matt Fitzpatrick in the FedEx Cup standings. The victory added another 750 points, stretching his advantage to 1,447 points. Since the BMW Championship winner can earn a maximum of 750 points, Scheffler has mathematically secured the top spot heading into the season-ending TOUR Championship. On the season, he now holds two wins, five runner-up finishes, and five other top-four results from 18 starts, with every one of his 17 made cuts producing a top-25 finish. He is firmly in contention for a fifth straight PGA Tour Player of the Year award.

Indian-Origin Players: Three Advance, One Exits

The week produced contrasting outcomes for the Indian-origin contingent. Akshay Bhatia, Sahith Theegala, and Aaron Rai — all supported by Hero — finished outside the top 60 in Memphis but had accumulated enough points across the season to remain inside the top 50 of the FedEx Cup standings, earning passage to the BMW Championship.

Bhatia sits 15th in the standings after closing with a 76 to finish 68th for the week. Rai, ranked 37th, shot a final-round 78 to finish 63rd. Theegala, placed 46th, carded a 71 to end 67th. Notably, their FedEx Cup rankings also guarantee them starts in all $20-million Signature Events next season.

For Sudarshan Yellamaraju, the play-offs ended despite an encouraging week. The Indo-Canadian rookie was inside the top 10 after the opening two rounds but slipped to tied 47th following a final-round 71. He finished 58th in the FedEx Cup standings — eight places outside the top-50 cut-off for the BMW Championship. Nevertheless, Yellamaraju's debut season has been a breakthrough campaign, marked by consistent results and a first play-offs qualification.

What's Next

The FedEx Cup play-offs continue with the BMW Championship, where Theegala, Bhatia, and Rai will look to climb the standings further ahead of the season-ending TOUR Championship. For Scheffler, the focus shifts to defending his position at the top and cementing what is shaping up to be one of the most dominant individual seasons in recent PGA Tour history.

Point of View

The more telling story is the Yellamaraju near-miss: a rookie who led after two rounds but could not hold on, finishing eight spots short of the cut. Bhatia, Rai, and Theegala advancing on season-long merit rather than Memphis form underlines how depth — not peaks — now defines the Indian presence on the PGA Tour.
NationPress
17 Aug 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the FedEx St. Jude Championship 2025?
Scottie Scheffler won the FedEx St. Jude Championship, finishing at 17-under 263 at TPC Southwind in Memphis — an eight-shot victory that is his 21st PGA Tour title and second of the season.
Which Indian-origin players qualified for the BMW Championship?
Akshay Bhatia (15th in FedEx Cup standings), Aaron Rai (37th), and Sahith Theegala (46th) all advanced to the BMW Championship. All three finished outside the top 60 in Memphis but had done enough across the season to remain inside the top 50 of the FedEx Cup standings.
Why did Sudarshan Yellamaraju miss the BMW Championship?
Yellamaraju finished 58th in the FedEx Cup standings, eight places outside the top-50 cut-off required to advance. Despite a strong start — he was inside the top 10 after two rounds in Memphis — a final-round 71 dropped him to tied 47th for the week.
Has Scottie Scheffler secured the FedEx Cup top seed?
Yes. Scheffler's 750-point haul from the Memphis win stretched his FedEx Cup lead to 1,447 points. Since the maximum available at the BMW Championship is also 750 points, no other player can overtake him, guaranteeing him the top seed at the season-ending TOUR Championship.
What is the significance of Scheffler's eight-shot winning margin?
It made Scheffler only the fifth player in the last four decades to record multiple PGA Tour victories by eight or more shots, joining Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Dustin Johnson, and Rory McIlroy. It also puts him firmly in contention for a fifth consecutive PGA Tour Player of the Year award.
Nation Press
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