RELATED: Leaderboard | FedExCup standings Scott entered the first week of the FedExCup Playoffs ranked 77th, needing a solid finish just to advance to the next event. He did just that, shooting four rounds of par or better to finish T5 at 11 under par. He jumped 32 places in the FedExCup to No. 45, securing his first BMW start in two years. “It was really just putting my mind to (doing) something and doing it,” Scott said. “I think sometimes that’s the hardest thing at this point in my career, … changing your mind all the time. Floating on autopilot sometimes… doesn’t get you very far, so I had to focus a little more.” It was Scott’s fourth top-10 in 18 starts this season, but his first in a stroke-play event since The Genesis Invitational in February. It was a good season – he only missed two cuts and made the top-15 at the final two majors of the year – but he lacked the high point-scoring finishes. This was also a good time show. Scott wasn’t just playing for his FedExCup fate this week. He also wanted to secure his status in the International Presidents Cup team. The top eight in the team standings after next week’s BMW Championship will automatically earn spots on Trevor Immelman’s International Team to face the USA at Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club on September 22-25. Scott arrived at TPC Southwind ranked eighth on the Internationals points list. While a Captain’s Pick would be assured if he doesn’t earn an automatic roster spot, Scott’s performance at TPC Southwind frees up another pick for Captain Trevor Immelman. “This is huge for us,” Immelman said of Scott earning his spot. “There is no doubt about it. When I got this job, he was one of the guys that I had identified as being very important to have (at Quail Hollow).” Additional flexibility is appreciated. Immelman has plenty of options. Presidents Cup veterans Marc Leishman, Jason Day, Adam Hadwin, Si Woo Kim, Anirban Lahiri, Jhonattan Vegas and Emiliano Grillo are outside the top eight, as are up-and-comers like Min Woo Lee, Ryan Fox, Taylor Pendrith and Christiaan. Bezuidenhout and PGA TOUR winners such as Sebastian Munoz, Mackenzie Hughes, Lucas Herbert and Cam Davis. Scott led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting this week, gaining nearly 4 strokes in the final round alone. He salvaged an even-par round on Saturday despite not playing well, then shot a 66 on Sunday. He could have gone even higher in the FedExCup if not for a drive into the water on the 72nd hole, though he was able to save the bogey. Immelman believes the veteran presence on his team is trending in the right direction and is close to capturing his first PGA TOUR win since the 2020 Genesis Invitational, which fell just before the COVID-19 pandemic. “His swing seems to be in a good spot. The sound is right,” Immelman said. “I really think he’s become a good athlete over the last three years. When you fit it together, I think it’s there.” Immelman, who is also an announcer for CBS, enjoys spending time on the range at PGA TOUR events, scouting the players whose shots he will call and potential team members. Scott has noticed. “He’s been watching me get away every week, the old dog out here, grinding me into the ground trying to build his team,” Scott says. He and Immelman have been friends since their amateur days, and Scott is the de facto Assistant Captain, well-qualified to provide input on various matters. It was a five-minute speech Scott gave to his teammates as they drove to Royal Melbourne for the first practice rounds three years ago that helped the International Team take the lead after Sunday. “It was so amazing, so heartfelt,” Immelman said. “It really meant a lot, especially when you consider we had seven rookies on this team.” Scott did whatever it took Sunday to help Immelman advance to the FedExCup Playoffs. Friends since childhood in Dallas. The two previous PGA TOUR Rookies of the Year. Now Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler are the top two players in the FedExCup standings. Scheffler has been leading since March, but by quadrupling the points in the Playoffs, Zalatoris was able to supplant Scheffler, who missed the cut in Memphis, atop the FedExCup. Zalatoris now has a 125-point lead over Scheffler. Cameron Smith dropped one spot to third after his T13 at TPC Southwind and will round out the top team in the BMW Championship. Zalatoris’ win at the FedEx St. Jude was making his first career Playoff start.
