The FedEx Cup format has divided not just the fans but the PGA Tour pros too. Per the current format, the top-ranked player leading up to the Tour Championship starts with a ten-stroke advantage. The second-ranked player with an eight-stroke cushion, the third six, and so on till the fifth-ranked player, which is Ludvig Aberg. Although Scottie Scheffler would prefer to change it, the 24-year-old finds it rather ‘cool’.

Aberg will start five strokes behind the world no. 1. Nevertheless, the Swedish youngster feels it’s justified to champion the best golfer of the season. At the same time, it also rewards those who played well in the FedEx Cup. The Swedish international comparing the FedEx Cup playoffs with playoffs in other American sports said, “I think it’s a cool format. Obviously it’s a playoff. It’s like any other sport in America where you have a regular season and you have a playoff.” Scheffler would disagree, however.

The two-time Masters champion feels the Tour Championship is beneficial for the player who has played well in the FedEx Cup stretch. Not for the players who have played the season better overall.

“In terms of the season-long race, it’s maybe not always going to be the guy that plays the best the whole season; it’s going to be the guy that plays the best in these playoff events,” the world no. 1 said from East Lake.

But make no mistake, Aberg being at East Lake is a testament to how well he has played in his first full season at the PGA Tour. Aberg, in addition to his T2 at the BMW Championship, has picked seven top-tens in the regular season.

May 16, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Ludvig Aberg reacts on the eighth hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY SportsThe one-time PGA Tour winner said, “It emphasizes I’m playing well in these three tournaments, and if you play well, you get rewarded. So yeah, I like obviously being here, I like being a part of it, and really looking forward to a cool week.”

This is obviously the first time Ludvig Aberg is landing on East Lake Golf Club; he missed the East Lake Cup when he was in college because his roommate got COVID. Last year, the Texas Tech product was plying in post-season tournaments, where he found his first PGA Tour victory at the RSM Classic. So, like the course, the staggered format is a novelty for the 24-year-old. But as he has demonstrated in the majors, he doesn’t take time to cut his teeth into something new.

Ludvig Aberg doesn’t sound worried about the format

Aberg is least concerned about starting five strokes back. His strategy, the 24-year-old emphasized, would remain the same as it was at the BMW Championship. And almost every tournament. Being aggressive.

“I don’t think it will change too much for me. It’s still a 72-hole golf tournament. Depending on — I haven’t seen the golf course, so I don’t really know how to play it, if there’s decisions to be made or whatever. But you’ve still got to go play really good golf, aggressive golf if you want a chance to win, which ultimately that’s what we want,” Ludvig Aberg told the media ahead of the Tour Championship.

On that note, Scheffler would agree. The world no. 1 too reiterated in golf: all you can do is play better. Things automatically take care of themselves. It helps the man saying so is the prime example of that.

Despite hating the format,  Scottie Scheffler is the biggest beneficiary of it. For the third straight year, Scheffler enters East Lake as the top-seeded player. But keep an eye on Ludvig Aberg. The youngster has the potential to challenge Scheffler and Xander Schauffele’s dominance on the Tour.