Scottie Scheffler on the cusp of breaking a PGA Tour mark Tiger Woods has held for 26 years

Scottie Scheffler is fresh off an eight-shot victory to start the PGA Tour postseason and he goes for another at the BMW Championship at Bellerive

ST. LOUIS -- Scottie Scheffler is on the cusp of a PGA Tour record Tiger Woods has held for more than 26 years, one that means next to nothing to the world's No. 1 player because of so many factors in play.

Scheffler is coming off his 21st career PGA Tour victory , all in the last five years. Last week's win was worth $3.6 million, the fifth time this year he has earned $2 million or more. That brought him to within $1,034,756 of surpassing Woods on the career earnings list.

He could do that with a three-way tie for third in the BMW Championship . Just don't look for any sparkling wine, much less a celebration. Prize money began to soar because of Woods, and it spiked with the arrival of LIV Golf. It was a matter of time.

“That has a lot to do with the purses and all that,” Scheffler said Wednesday. “I'm not really too close to him in terms of career wins. What am I, like a fourth of the way there?”

Close enough. Woods is at 82 wins, tied for the all-time record with Sam Snead.

Money topics at Bellerive Country Club, hosting the BMW Championship for the first time since 2008, is all about 30 players trying to get to East Lake to play for a $40 million purse — $10 million for the winner — and the FedEx Cup.

That's not a concern for Scheffler, either, or for the likes of Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young, Rory McIlroy and a host of others who were among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup to advance to the second FedEx Cup playoffs event.

But it is to Gary Woodland, still recovering from brain surgery and at No. 31 with a chance to reach the Tour Championship for the first time in six years. And it is to 46-year-old Adam Scott, the only player in the field who was at Bellerive for the last BMW Championship.

Getting to East Lake all but assures a spot in all four majors. That's a big perk, along with the chance to win a $10 million payoff.

“Making the Tour Championship has always been important,” Scott said. “It’s always been a marker of your performance throughout the year.”

There's a little more at stake for a short list of players — Scheffler, Fitzpatrick, Young, perhaps even McIlroy. No one has really stood out as PGA Tour player of the year. Scheffler moved to the front with his eight-shot win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship last week. It's only his second win this year, but it goes along with five runner-up finishes and five other top 4s.

Scheffler has played so well he already is guaranteed the $23 million bonus for leading the FedEx Cup through the BMW Championship. That doesn't count toward official earnings.

That number stands at $119,964,411. Perhaps another testament to changing times is that Woods earned his last official paycheck in the 2024 Masters ($44,000), moving his total to $120,999,166. Scheffler won the Masters that year and moved to No. 12 at $57,658,464.