The Power 18 golf rankings: Rory McIlroy leaps Scottie Scheffler for No. 1 ahead of 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs

Summer is coming to a close, and with it, the PGA Tour’s postseason competition is coming into focus. The four major championships are all in the rear-view mirror, but fear not, the 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs loom large as competitors vie for positioning ahead of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. 

Leading the charge into the playoffs is none other than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The Texan’s streak of top-12 finishes may have come to an end at The Open Championship with a T23, but he remains on pace for a historic season statistically. Falling short to Rory McIlroy in last year’s Tour Championship, Scheffler has unfinished business entering this year’s playoffs.

Speaking of the Northern Irishman, McIlroy has picked off a victory since we last published the The Power 18 on the back of a dramatic birdie-birdie finish at the 2023 Scottish Open. Good for the 24th PGA Tour win of his career, McIlroy’s play in Scotland could be exactly what the doctor ordered heading into the playoffs.

Jon Rahm contended at yet another major championship, while Brian Harman ascended to glory with his rout of the field at Royal Liverpool. Rickie Fowler continues to enjoy a renaissance, but good friends Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas appear out of sorts putting captain Zach Johnson in a precarious position as he contemplates his United States team for the 2023 Ryder Cup in September.

The Power 18 provides insight as to how golfers are currently performing with benefit given to their play over recent events. It is a wider lens than simply what happened at the last tournament to be played but more narrow than the Official World Golf Rankings, which take into account how more than 2,000 golfers perform across an entire season.

The Power 18