PGA Tour star publicly disagrees with Scottie Scheffler's 'silly' complaint

Billy Horschel has sided with Rory McIlroy after Scottie Scheffler expressed his problems with the FedEx Cup playoffs ahead of the competition at the St. Jude Championship last week.

Scheffler is one of the favorites to win the FedEx Cup title - something he has failed to do the previous two years. But the American believes the FedEx Cup cannot be called a season-long race when it comes down to one final tournament, the BMW Championship.

Despite holding a two-shot lead over two-time major winner Xander Schauffele, disaster could strike with injury and all of Scheffler's hard work across the season could come undone. “It's quoted as the season-long race, but at the end of the day it really all comes down to East Lake,” said the world’s No. 1 player. “I talked about it the last few years. I think it's silly. You can't call it a season-long race and have it come down to one tournament.

“Hypothetically, we get to East Lake and my neck flares up and it doesn't heal the way it did at the Players [where he battled a neck injury the first few rounds]. I finish 30th in the FedEx Cup because I had to withdraw from the last tournament? Is that really the season-long race? No. It is what it is."

• Dustin Johnson’s post-LIV Golf plan revealed after sending clear message to PGA Tour
• Jon Rahm sent clear PGA Tour message during LIV Golf event after U-turn rumors

However, Horschel has voiced his opposition to Scheffler's position, and it's in line with McIlroy. "I disagree with Scottie. Scottie said it's silly - I don't agree with that. I think we have a system now that -- it's never rewarded the best player throughout the regular season," Horschel said.

"I won the '14 FedExCup. Rory McIlroy was clearly the best player that year. He had won two majors. He came in on a high note. I was 69th in the start of the FedEx."

"I missed the first cut. I go second, win, win, and I win the FedExCup. It's no different than the New York Giants and beating the New England Patriots and starting the Playoffs 9-7 I think it was and the Patriots being undefeated and then winning the Super Bowl," he added.

Nonetheless, Scheffler would like to win the FedEx Cup. “I don't really think about exclamation point or anything like that, but definitely want to win the FedEx Cup,” he said Wednesday.

“It's a fun tournament," he added. "I don't really consider it the season-long race like I think the way it's called. But you've got to figure out a way to strike a balance between it being a good TV product and it still being a season-long race.

"Right now, I don't know exactly how the ratings are or anything like that, but I know for a fact you can't really quite call it the season-long race when it comes down to one stroke play tournament on the same golf course each year.”