Scottie Scheffler’s dominant eight-stroke victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship last week has prompted discussion regarding the PGA Tour’s signature event model. Golfer Kevin Kisner suggested that Scheffler’s performance highlighted a flaw in limiting field sizes for these high-profile tournaments.
Scheffler secured his second PGA Tour win of the 2026 season at TPC Southwind, his first since The American Express in January. He took control of the tournament with a round of 61 on Friday and maintained a significant lead throughout Sunday, ultimately winning by eight shots over Si Woo Kim and Sam Burns.
Kisner, speaking on the Fore Play Podcast, argued that Scheffler’s overwhelming win, despite competing against 70 of the PGA Tour’s top players, indicates that smaller fields do not necessarily create a better product for television viewing. He contended that if the field had included 125 players, as in traditional events, Scheffler might not have won by such a large margin, suggesting that larger fields introduce more drama and competition.
However, an examination of the 2026 signature events reveals a mixed bag of results. While Cameron Young won the Cadillac Championship by six strokes over Scheffler, four of the eight signature events this year concluded in a playoff. Scheffler himself lost in two of these playoffs. Additionally, Collin Morikawa and Jacob Bridgeman won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational by a single shot, respectively, and Kristoffer Reitan won the Truist Championship by two shots. These outcomes suggest that while Scheffler’s recent win was a runaway, not all signature events have lacked drama.
