What to watch during the chase for the FedEx Cup, including Ryder Cup spots - ESPN

The PGA Tour's playoffs get underway on Thursday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee, the first of three straight tournaments to determine the FedEx Cup champion.

Nearly all of the top 70 golfers in the seasonlong points standings will be chasing world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, who will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of the FedEx Cup at the Tour Championship in Atlanta on Aug. 21-24.

«It's the time of year that everybody wants to be obviously peaking and playing their best,» Justin Thomas said.

Scheffler dealt with a hand wound early in the season and didn't finish first as often as he did last year, but his four victories this season include major championship wins at the PGA Championship and The Open.

FedEx St. Jude Championship

When: Thursday-Sunday
Where: TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee
Purse: $20 million ($3.6 million to winner)
Defending champion: Hideki Matsuyama

The top 70 golfers in the seasonlong FedEx Cup points standings return to TPC Southwind for the first leg of the playoffs — or at least everyone but Masters champion Rory McIlroy, who is skipping the tournament.

McIlroy is comfortably in the No. 2 spot in the points standings and has all but locked up spots in the BMW Championship and Tour Championship. McIlroy has three top-10s in eight starts at TPC Southwind, but he finished 68th last year at 9 over (26 strokes behind Matsuyama).

McIlroy told The Telegraph of London in November that he would likely opt out of the first playoff event to cut down on his schedule.

«I finished, basically, dead last there [last] year, and only moved down one spot in the playoff standings,» said McIlroy.

There's more urgency for golfers just inside or outside the top-50 bubble,