We are smack bang in the middle of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but the focus of the golf world remains fixed on next month’s Ryder Cup.
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On Monday, the six automatic qualifying spots for Team USA will be wrapped up, with Keegan Bradley set to make his captain’s picks after the Tour Championship. For Europe, the qualifiers are locked in in two weeks and Luke Donald rounds out his team on September 1. Needless to say, aanticipation has hit a fever pitch. That was plainly evident at the BMW Championship on Wednesday, where FedEx Cup points leader Scottie Scheffler fielded question after question not about the monumental task ahead of him as he vies to become a back-to-back tour champion, but about next month’s big test at Bethpage.
Topics in the Ryder Cup-themed flurry ranged from Scheffler’s thoughts on Bradley’s potential role as a player-captain, whether or not he’ll play at the Procore Championship two weeks before and plenty more. But after five straight queries about the quest for the cup, Scheffler officially had enough. Listen in.
After being asked how he thought the home crowd at Bethpage Black might compare to that which he faced in Rome in 2023, Scheffler finally had to put his foot down.
“I love answering questions about the Ryder Cup, but this is ridiculous,” he said. “We’re at the BMW Championship. The Ryder Cup is over a month away. If you want to talk about this week, let’s talk about this week. If not, I’ve got practice to do. I’m getting ready for a golf tournament.”
The transcript reads a lot terser than Scheffler’s actual reaction, which he delivered with his typical disarming nonchalance, but if you watch closely you can see him deflate in real time as he hears another Ryder Cup question coming in. There may as well be cartoon thought bubble above his head that reads “you guys are really going to make me say this, aren’t you?”
As members of the media, we of course understand this from both sides. Up until that point Scheffler had played ball, answering Ryder Cup questions with his typical patience and thoughtfulness, so this reporter was just going with the flow of traffic. From Scheffler’s side, he’s trying to win his second consecutive FedEx Cup title. How much weight that really carries is up for debate, but it will require staying in the moment, even if fans and reporters are more interested in an event that’s over a month away.
All in all, no harm, no foul, but if you, like Scheffler, have developed a bad case Ryder Cup fatigue in mid-August, just know that you’re not alone.
