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It was just a few days ago that we crowned a FedExCup champion. There's no rest for the world's best, however, especially in today's unique circumstances. After an unprecedented season that was put on hold by a pandemic, the PGA TOUR embarks on a super-sized campaign that features 50 events, including six major championships. The largest PGA TOUR schedule since 1975 starts Thursday with the first round of the Safeway Open in Napa, California. The winner of the 2021 FedExCup, which will be decided Sept. 5 at East Lake Golf Club, will have endured a marathon march to the PGA TOUR's ultimate prize. To prepare you for this monster season, PGATOUR.COM's writers convened for a roundtable discussing the season's hot topics. 1. Who’s your 2021 FedExCup champion, and why? SEAN MARTIN: Rory McIlroy. Now that his first child has safely arrived, I think McIlroy will have a banner year. He already has a good grasp of things, but players always say that the added perspective that comes with fatherhood helps their game. If that's the case, it could be a big year for McIlroy. CAMERON MORFIT: I think we could be entering the Jon Rahm era. I liked the way he shrugged off that mental lapse and one-stroke penalty to win the BMW Championship, and the fact that he prevailed at two of the most maddening courses we've seen in a while, Olympia Fields and Muirfield Village, speaks volumes, as well. He's a mega-talent, and he's on the rise. BEN EVERILL: With so much of the landscape yet to be clear you have to lean to the tried and true. It would be easy to suggest McIlroy (good choice Sean), Rahm (no arguments Cam), Justin Thomas or Dustin Johnson and I think it likely comes from that quartet. I am going to throw one out a little from left field, however. Xander Schauffele. He won at East Lake in 2017 and was runner-up in 2019, so he has an affinity for the site of the season finale. 2. Which player is poised for a breakout in 2021? SEAN MARTIN: Sam Burns. It wasn't that long ago that he was the NCAA player of the year and then made a splash with his performance at The Honda while playing alongside Tiger Woods. He's still just 24 years old and I think this is the year that he gets that first TOUR win. CAMERON MORFIT: Lanto Griffin still flies pretty far under the radar, and I think we haven't seen his best yet. He looked built for biggest stages at the major-esque BMW Championship (T10) and was also T19 at the PGA Championship. BEN EVERILL: Cameron Davis. The young Aussie is starting to find his feet, contending at times and getting some valuable experience under the gun. But outside of my Aussie bias look to Abraham Ancer and Viktor Hovland. I think their rise will continue. 3. There are six majors this season. Who wins the most and how many? SEAN MARTIN: Jon Rahm. He won on two of the four hardest courses this season. Muirfield Village and Olympia Fields were playing like major-championship venues. He has back-to-back top-10s at the Masters, finished T3 in the most recent U.S. Open and we've seen him pick up two Irish Opens on links courses. Sign him up for wins at one of the two Masters and the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, the site of his first PGA TOUR victory. CAMERON MORFIT: Bryson DeChambeau. I know he's not playing great at the moment, but I don't know how you defend against that length advantage at Augusta National, and there are two Masters. It feels like he's going to figure it out. BEN EVERILL: Jon Rahm is the most likely on paper, even though he hasn't yet won a major. But he has an all-around game that is proven at Augusta and also Torrey Pines where he's won before. Those who know me, though, will not be surprised to hear me say Jason Day and Marc Leishman are two you should not sleep on. Day has five U.S. Open top-10s, including two runners-up, and has two TOUR wins at Torrey Pines. He has four top-10s, including a second and third, at Augusta. Leishman has form at Torrey Pines also with a win, he's a proven links golf performer and has threatened at the Masters. 4. More likely to win another major: Rory, DJ or Brooks? SEAN MARTIN: Rory has two shots at the career Grand Slam and the PGA is returning to Kiawah, where he won by eight. But I'm going to vote DJ. At 36, and with length to spare, he still has plenty of good years ahead of him. CAMERON MORFIT: Ordinarily I'd say Brooks, but I don't really know about the status of his knee/hip, and he had a dud of a season. DJ has his own issues, and has dealt with a bit of bad luck, besides. I guess I'd go with Rory. BEN EVERILL: All three will win another one at least, but first I'll go with the new dad, Rory. He will ride the rollercoaster but appears to me as the type of guy who will turn perspective into performance. 5. What does Collin Morikawa do for an encore? SEAN MARTIN: Adjusting to life as a major champion can be difficult but he has a good head on his shoulders. He's obviously capable of more, but I think following his breakout season with even just one win can be considered a success. Winning multiple times in a year isn't a guarantee even for the best players. For perspective, consider that 2020 was the first multiple-win season of Jon Rahm's career. CAMERON MORFIT: I'm thinking two wins, minimum. He's that good. BEN EVERILL: Depends on how long we play without on-site spectators. In the current climate I'm with Cam, he probably wins at least once. If the fans are back, I want to see him down the stretch of the big events trying to adjust to that norm. He will figure it out, of course, but it might take a minute. 6. Which first-time TOUR Championship qualifier has the best chance of returning in 2021? SEAN MARTIN: Morikawa is the obvious answer, but among players who have played multiple seasons on TOUR, I'm going to pick Cameron Champ. The long hitter displayed increased consistency this season thanks to improvement with his scoring clubs. Distance is always an advantage and it doesn't waver week-to-week. Improving his short-iron play will allow him to take advantage of his prodigious length. CAMERON MORFIT: I'll go with Scottie Scheffler. He seems pretty unphased, and to shoot 59 like that was impressive. The only surprise is that he hasn't won yet. BEN EVERILL: Joaquin Niemann. While I think he will continue to be a little streaky in his youth, I think his talent will see him win again and as such be in great shape for a return to East Lake. Viktor Hovland will be back also. 7. Who is most likely to win his first event in 2020? SEAN MARTIN: Scottie Scheffler seems to be the easy answer. CAMERON MORFIT: Yeah, I think Scheffler. BEN EVERILL: Abraham Ancer. Surely any day now. 8. Where is Tiger most likely to get No. 83? SEAN MARTIN: Next to Augusta National, Torrey Pines might be the course that has been most important to his legacy. Setting the PGA TOUR wins record by winning another U.S. Open at Torrey Pines would be storybook stuff. Perhaps instead of holding off a grizzled veteran like Rocco Mediate in a playoff, he will beat back a young up-and-comer like Morikawa. CAMERON MORFIT: Sherwood Country Club, the fill-in host of THE ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD. When the Hero World Challenge was held there, from 2000 to 2013, Tiger finished first (five times) or second (five times) in 10 of 12 starts. That's enough for me. BEN EVERILL: Can't fault both answers above, although the U.S. Open setup might prove tough for an aging Woods. I'll plump for Augusta since we play there twice inside six months. 9. Does Phil Mickelson have another PGA TOUR win in him? SEAN MARTIN: I have to be honest, I don't think he does. He has the swing speed, but he appears to struggle with keeping his energy and focus at high levels for 72 holes. CAMERON MORFIT: Fred Funk and Craig Stadler each won on TOUR after they turned 50, and each of them had won on PGA TOUR Champions when they did it. Mickelson is obviously in a different class. He'll definitely win again. BEN EVERILL: Yes, if he varies his schedule a little. No, if he only plays limited times against stacked fields. I can see Mickelson winning the season opener at Safeway if his mind hasn't moved ahead a week, and I guess contrary to my above statement places like Riviera and Pebble Beach will always offer Phil a chance to thrill again. 10. Woods, Day, Scott, Cantlay, Wolff, Woodland, Watson, Casey, Rose, Mickelson, Spieth, all missed the TOUR Championship. Which player who missed East Lake will return with a vengeance? SEAN MARTIN: I think Adam Scott. Class is permanent and he would have made East Lake if he had played more. His truncated schedule was caused by the pandemic, so I think a full schedule will be enough for him to return to the TOUR Championship. CAMERON MORFIT: I've got to go with Jason Day. Although it was too little, too late, he seemed to find something toward the tail end of this season. If he carries whatever that was into the coming season, watch out. BEN EVERILL: THUD! That was the sound of me hitting the floor after hearing two Aussies come out of the guys above! Of course, I agree both will return! As stated above, Day has the benefit of a major schedule that fits his game, so if he's healthy and switched on he will not only return to East Lake, he'll be there to win it.

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GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – The drive between Memphis, Tennessee, home of Graceland, and Tupelo, Mississippi, birthplace of Elvis Presley, is an hour and 27 minutes. Hayden Buckley knows all about it. He was born in Chattanooga but raised in Tupelo. RELATED: Leaderboard | Projected FedExCup standings “We would come to Memphis a lot,” said Buckley, who shot a third-round 65 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and is projected to move from 95th to 59th in the FedExCup, inside the cutoff for next week’s top-70 BMW Championship. “I would fly out of Memphis every time I left home or fly back in to come home. I feel like it’s home a little bit.” He said he had played TPC Southwind several times, and while he has since moved to South Florida, he estimated he had 50 or so friends and family following him Saturday. He was one of the biggest FedExCup movers thanks to good gallery mojo and even better putting. The 26-year-old rookie came into the FedEx St. Jude ranked 178th in Strokes Gained: Putting but was first in that statistic at TPC Southwind on Saturday, needing just 23 putts in his seven-birdie, two-bogey effort. He’s 9-under par and four behind leader J.J. Spaun (68). “Yeah, it’s not only for next week, but next year,” Buckley said of the stakes this weekend. “I know every little spot or every birdie I make really does matter for, you know, if I get in next week that’s great, but even for next year I’m going to have opportunities that I wouldn’t have.” Buckley started strong this season with a T4 at the Sanderson Farms Championship and T8 at the Shriners Children’s Open but had missed four straight cuts when he teed it up at a U.S. Open qualifier. Not only did he get through, but he also finished T14 at the U.S. Open. He hasn’t missed a cut since. “I remember qualifying for the U.S. Open and saying this is kind of my first good thing that’s happened in almost two months,” Buckley said. “… I wasn’t sure in that little seven-week stretch of missing six cuts, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be here. I knew being close to home, I wanted to be here. It was a tough two months. I made some changes and I think they paid off.” The biggest of these, he said, came after he’d missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial, when he began working with course management specialist Scott Fawcett. “Went out with him on Saturday to play golf and just talked to him and kind of dove all into it,” Buckley said, “and after that, good things started happening. I think I’m getting stronger as well. My game’s maturing a little bit, my putting’s gotten better.” “I was really struggling with putting for a while,” he added. “I made the changes. I think it’s a mix of everything, but Scott really helped out a lot.” The only time Buckley has missed the weekend rounds since June came at the Wyndham Championship last week, when he made the cut but withdrew with pain in his right hand. He thinks he may have aggravated it on the firm turf at the 3M Open (T26) and/or Rocket Mortgage Classic (T24). This also marks his 30th start of the season, which he said has been too much. Alas, he added, he felt he had to play in whatever he could get into as a rookie. In retrospect, his Wyndham weekend that wasn’t might have been the best thing for him. And for his fans, too. “I haven’t really looked into the crowd,” Buckley said. “I’m going to go see them here in a little bit. … I don’t get to come home much and it’s nice to have that support close to home.” NOTES: Trey Mullinax, who began the week in the 70th and final BMW Championship-eligible position in the FedExCup, is making a bid to not only keep his season alive but maybe position himself for the top-30 TOUR Championship. Mullinax, who picked up his first PGA TOUR win at the Barbasol Championship this summer, shot 66 to reach 11-under par. He’s just two off the lead. … FedExCup No. 93 Adam Schenk shot 66 but still has more work to do. He’s projected to go to 76th, just outside the BMW cutoff. … Ryan Palmer shot 69 and is projected to move from FedExCup No. 110 to 71st, one short of continuing his season, with one round remaining. BMW BUBBLE WATCH Here are the players projected to move in or out of the top 70 in the FedExCup. The top 70 will advance to the second event of the Playoffs, the BMW Championship at Wilmington (Del.) Country Club. PROJECTED IN Wyndham Clark (No. 79, projected to 51): Coming off a T8 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Clark was 4-under for the first four holes Saturday on the way to his third straight 67. He’s 9-under and will go into the final round four behind leader J.J. Spaun (68). Andrew Putnam (No. 87, projected to 55): Shot 67 to join a large group tied for 6th place at 9-under, four back. Endured a stretch of seven missed cuts in eight starts in the spring but has found something with T11 at 3M Open and T27 at Wyndham Championship. Hayden Buckley (No. 95, projected to 59): Enjoying some good mojo close to home, and much improved putting as he was first in strokes gained on the greens Saturday. Adam Scott (No. 77, projected to 64): Signed for a 70 to hang around at 7-under, six back going into Sunday. Scott holds the eighth and final spot in the International Presidents Cup Team standings. The top eight after the BMW qualify for the team, and if he doesn’t make it on points, International Captain Trevor Immelman will have to use a captain’s pick on him. Tyler Duncan (No. 118, projected to 57): Shot 67 to reach 10-under, three back. RSM Classic winner two seasons ago doesn’t have a top-10 finish this season. “Obviously, the results haven’t been there,” he said. “I feel like the game has been moving in the right direction and I feel like I’ve made a lot of improvements that I needed to make, and they just haven’t paid off yet.” PROJECTED OUT Alex Smalley (No. 61, projected to 72): Duke product and PGA TOUR rookie missed the cut at the FedEx St. Jude. Anirban Lahiri (No. 63, projected to 73): International Presidents Cup Team veteran missed the cut at FedEx St. Jude. Brendon Todd (No. 68, projected to 74): Won twice and finished a career-best 20th in the FedExCup two seasons ago but will have to do better than his even-par 70 in third round. John Huh (No. 67, projected to 75): Wyndham Championship runner-up withdrew with a lower-back injury after shooting 40 on his first nine holes Friday. Lanto Griffin (No. 69, projected to 79): Not in field after recent back surgery.

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