Summer is coming to a close, and with it, the PGA Tour's postseason competition is coming into focus. The four major championships are all in the rear-view mirror, but fear not, the 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs loom large as competitors vie for positioning ahead of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.
Leading the charge into the playoffs is none other than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The Texan's streak of top-12 finishes may have come to an end at The Open Championship with a T23, but he remains on pace for a historic season statistically. Falling short to Rory McIlroy in last year's Tour Championship, Scheffler has unfinished business entering this year's playoffs.
Speaking of the Northern Irishman, McIlroy has picked off a victory since we last published the The Power 18 on the back of a dramatic birdie-birdie finish at the 2023 Scottish Open. Good for the 24th PGA Tour win of his career, McIlroy's play in Scotland could be exactly what the doctor ordered heading into the playoffs.
Jon Rahm contended at yet another major championship, while Brian Harman ascended to glory with his rout of the field at Royal Liverpool. Rickie Fowler continues to enjoy a renaissance, but good friends Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas appear out of sorts putting captain Zach Johnson in a precarious position as he contemplates his United States team for the 2023 Ryder Cup in September.
The Power 18 provides insight as to how golfers are currently performing with benefit given to their play over recent events. It is a wider lens than simply what happened at the last tournament to be played but more narrow than the Official World Golf Rankings, which take into account how more than 2,000 golfers perform across an entire season.
The Power 18
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| Let's start with a bit of controversy. Over the last three months, McIlroy is one of two players to rank inside the top 40 in each strokes-gained statistic. He has been brilliant since the PGA Championship with seven straight top-seven finishes, including a runner-up result at the U.S. Open and his win at the Scottish Open. The shortcomings in major championships may sting, but he has to be the favorite to raise the FedEx Cup given his history at East Lake. Previous: 2 | |
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| Putting matters, and it continues to hinder Scheffler. Over the last three months, he finds himself inside the top six in each strokes-gained category but outside the top 120 on the greens. Similar to McIlroy, Scheffler had strung together seven straight top-five finishes before faltering at The Open where he lost four strokes to the field with the flat stick in hand. The tee-to-green metrics are historical, but he is leaving meat on the bone by not collecting trophies in unison with them. Previous: 1 | |
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| It has been a somewhat strange season for the Masters champion despite his having compiled victories. Rahm now has two straight top-10 finishes in major championships since his opening dud at the PGA Championship. He cut Harman's lead to as little as three during the final round of The Open but ultimately had to settle for a runner-up performance. If he continues to drive the ball as he did at Royal Liverpool, the Spaniard should factor for his first FedEx Cup title. Previous: 4 | |
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| Another major championship passes by where Hovland finds himself in the mix in the latter stages of the tournament. A member of the penultimate group Sunday at Hoylake, the Norwegian was unable to muster together a charge and settled for a T13 result. It just feels like Hovland will pick off one of the four big ones over the next couple years as he has solved the puzzle that is major championship golf. Previous: 5 | |
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| He made the cut in all four major championships and announced to the golf world he is back and here to stay, but where does Koepka go from here with the next major eight months away? Since his PGA Championship victory, he has notched a top-20 finish at the U.S. Open and a third-place effort at LIV Golf Andalucia. Whether he continues to show form in the second half of the LIV Golf season is a big question mark. He could easily pepper top-20 finishes in 48-man fields or grab a couple more trophies. Both are on the table. Previous: 3 | |
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| A poor start at the Scottish Open put an end to Schauffele's 10-tournament top 25 streak. He bounced back with a top-20 effort at The Open just as he did at the three prior major championships. Schauffele is amid the best season of his career in terms of approach play and putting but is without a victory to show for it. Don't be surprised if this changes in the postseason. Previous: 9 | |
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| Fowler's efforts across the pond were closer than the results read. The 18th hole at Hoylake posed a problem for the Rocket Mortgage Classic winner, but he did well to finish the week inside the top 25. He now sets his sights on the FedEx Cup Playoffs where has picked off a victory before. Fowler ranks seventh in total strokes gained over the last three months. Previous: 8 | |
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| It was not The Open defense he had envisioned as Smith finished T33 at Royal Liverpool. Despite relinquishing the title Champion Golfer of the Year, the Australian finds himself in a string of form. A winner at LIV Golf London, Smith had put together eight straight top-12 finishes between LIV Golf and the major championships before Hoylake. Previous: 6 | |
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| A string of consistency paid off in a major way with Harman's dominant victory at The Open. Clipping the field by six strokes, the Georgia Bulldogs star put together one of the great performances in recent memory. For his efforts, he is now a shoe-in for the U.S. Ryder Cup team and has positioned himself nicely for a postseason push. He has four straight top-12 finishes to his name, and if the putter remains this temperature, he is a player who could run the table. Previous: Not ranked | |
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| Three straight top-35 finishes have come on the heels of Clark's emphatic major victory at the U.S. Open. He struck the ball brilliantly at The Renaissance Club but just got nothing out of his putter, and a somewhat similar story unfolded at The Open. Clark has the potential to threaten for PGA Tour Player of the Year honors but will need a postseason to remember to catch the likes of Rahm and Scheffler for that title. Previous: 7 | |
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| He was the man to make a move early Sunday at the Scottish Open as it appeared Hatton was on the cusp of picking up his second PGA Tour victory. However, he stumbled down the stretch to a T6 and backed it up with a T20 effort the following week at The Open. The Englishman ranks third in total strokes gained over the last three months, but he needs to get the job done in crunch time. Previous: 12 | |
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| Fleetwood falls in the same category of his fellow countryman as a player to post impressive statistics but zero trophies. He shot out to the first-round lead at The Open with six birdies but was only able to card six birdies over his final 54 holes and drifted to a T10 finish. It marked his fourth top 10 in his last five starts and his second straight top 10 in a major championship. Fleetwood is fifth in total strokes gained over the last three months and the man who joins McIlroy inside the top 40 in each strokes-gained category during that frame. Previous: NR | |
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| What else is there is to be said about Cantlay's season? Statistically, it mirrors his 2021 campaign that saw him win four times and claim the FedEx Cup crown and Player of the Year honors. However, he has fallen short of the trophy tally as he comes up on a year since his last entrance into the winner's circle. His trip to the United Kingdom was a disaster, but he still holds six top-five finishes in 18 starts this year. Previous: 10 | |
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| It's amazing what a two-week stretch can do. On the bubble for the European Ryder Cup team, Straka notched a win at the John Deere Classic and a runner-up at The Open to cement his place in Rome. He could easily have three victories over the last 12 months as the FedEx Cup Playoffs was where he inexplicably fell short to Will Zalatoris in extra holes. He will have a chance for redemption and begins the postseason inside the top 20. Previous: NR | |
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| The 21-year-old South Korean may be made for links golf as he collected a T6 finish at the Scottish Open and a runner-up at The Open. This followed his play at the U.S. Open where he also finished inside the top 10. Kim will forgo his title defense at the Wyndham Championship due to an ankle injury, but he appears to be finding his groove after a poor spring and beginning to summer. Previous: NR | |
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| Quiet might be the term used to best describe Matsuyama's 2023. While he has not entered the winner's circle, the former Masters champion has put his consistency on full display. He has nine top-30 finishes in his last 11 starts, including strong showings at The Open, the Travelers Championship and the Memorial Tournament. Matsuyama ranks 11th in strokes gained tee to green and fifth in strokes gained approach over the last three months. Previous: NR | |
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| Missed cuts at the U.S. Open and the Travelers Championship may have set the stage for Homa's summer charge. The two-time winner this season finished T21 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic before quality outings at both the Scottish Open and The Open where he nabbed his first major top 10. He'll enter the postseason fourth in the FedEx Cup standings the year after he finished fifth in the Tour Championship. Previous: NR | |
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| A return to the winner's circle at the Byron Nelson was followed by three straight missed cuts, but the Australian is back. With his runner-up at The Open, Day became the ninth player in history to finish second in each of the major championships. He is now well-positioned to play in the Tour Championship for the first time since 2018. Previous: NR | |
