This week, the PGA Tour kicked off the FedEx Cup Playoffs at TPC Southwind in Tennessee, beginning with the St. Jude Championship. After most players have completed their rounds, Hideki Matsuyama is tied with Denny McCarthy at the top of the leaderboard at 11 under par.

After his second round of 64, Matsuyama was asked what went well on Friday and was typically brief.

“I guess the long answer is that I missed a short putt there at 2 and hit it into the water at 4, but from that point on I played really well and putted well.”

However, his response to his thoughts on the structure of the FedEx Cup Playoffs caught people’s attention. Matsuyama pointed to the topic, referring to current world number one Scottie Scheffler according to the official World Golf Rankings.

“I like the system, especially where I am … I don’t know if unfair is the right word, but Scottie deserves to be much further ahead than just two shots at the TOUR Championship. Given that, I think it’s tough for him. But I’m enjoying it.”

And that is precisely the problem. What is a perceived disadvantage for Scheffler is an advantage for everyone else who is pursuing him.

Hideki Matsuyama is aware of the problem in the FedEx Cup Playoff

Scheffler is having an out-of-this-world season, winning his second Masters and five other events, including four PGA Tour signature events, which only the tour’s best players participate in.

With just under 6,000 points, he is in second place in the FedEx Cup standings, almost 2,000 points ahead of Xander Schauffele. Everyone else is at least 3,500 points behind. He has essentially lapped the field.

Still, he will have only a narrow lead at the Tour Championship in two weeks. Scheffler will begin the tournament at 10 under par, while other golfers are getting fewer and fewer strokes as the tournament begins.

One of the men who could challenge him for the Tour Championship is Matsuyama. He’s having a great season himself. Matsuyama won the Genesis Invitational and has five top-10 finishes. His performance so far this week has moved him from eighth to third in the FedEx Cup standings.

That would put him just a few strokes away from Scheffler at East Lake in Atlanta. Understandably, he’s a fan of the system at the moment. But given Scheffler’s good performance, that might not matter.

He’s back on the PGA Tour once again. Scheffler shot 5-under-par 65 on Friday, with three birdies on his final four holes. He enters the weekend two shots behind Matsuyama and McCarthy, who sits alone in fourth place.