Scott is the only Australian in the field for the PGA TOUR season finale, the 44-year-old rocketing to 14th in the FedEx Cup standings and 21st in the Official World Golf Rankings on the back of three runner-up finishes in the past month.

But under the format of the FedEx Cup, Scott will start the opening round on Friday morning seven strokes back of Scheffler, the world No.1 pegged at 10-under par before a ball is struck at East Lake Golf Club.

The only Australian to win the Tour Championship, Scott will need to produce something extraordinary to climb from his starting position of 3-under par and hold the trophy aloft for a second time on Sunday.

And in an ominous warning to Scott and the other 28 players in the field hoping to unseat him, Scheffler said that “more often than not” he gets the better of those who he gives up seven shots to in a single round at Royal Oaks Country Club.

“At home I’m typically playing to a plus-7,” Scheffler revealed.

“I used to be a plus-5. They moved me to a plus-7. So now we’ve got guys in the group that are getting like two strokes a hole.

“I typically still will win more often than not, I feel like, but it’s just fun.

“If you’re going out there with a 12, 13 handicap you don’t know what the heck is going to happen.

“If I’m at home, pretty much either Friday or Saturday, I’m playing with somebody that I’m giving 20 strokes. I think we’re up to 20 strokes now. And he takes them all.”

Yet to win the FedEx Cup, this year marks the third time in succession that Scheffler has entered the Tour Championship ahead of the pack.

Although he hasn’t been able to convert the past two years, he is bullish about his prospects of making it eight wins on the season.

“This is the best opportunity that I’ll have in my career probably to win a golf tournament,” said the Masters and Olympic champion.

“I’m starting two strokes ahead of second place. That’s a pretty cool place to be, really.”

Opportunities abound also for Aussies around the globe this week.

Webex Players Series Hunter Valley champion Daniel Gale has received an invitation to play this week’s Betfred British Masters on the DP World Tour while Cassie Porter can further her claims for promotion to the LPGA Tour at the Epson Tour’s Four Winds Invitational.

At the tournament where fellow Aussie Gabriela Ruffels wrapped up her LPGA Tour card 12 months ago, Porter arrives at South Bend, Indiana fifth on the Race For The Card standings.

With just five events left in the season to determine the top 15 who will receive LPGA status, a strong showing could be enough to push Porter over the line.

Rookie Connor McDade has received an invite to join 17 other Aussies in the field for the Asian Tour’s Mandiri Indonesia Open and world No.7 Hannah Green leads a six-strong Australian contingent at the inaugural FM Championship on the LPGA Tour.

Photo: Kevin C Cox/Getty Images

Round 1 tee times AEST

PGA TOUR
TOUR Championship
East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia
2:49am            Adam Scott

Defending champion: Viktor Hovland
Past Aussie winners: Adam Scott (2006)
Prize money: $US100 million
TV times: Live 1am-8am Friday, Saturday; Live 2am-9am Sunday; Live 1am-8am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

DP World Tour
Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo
The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England
4:30pm            Jason Scrivener
6:20pm*          Haydn Barron
6:30pm            Sam Jones (NZ)
9:30pm*          Daniel Gale
10pm               Daniel Hillier (NZ)
11:20pm          David Micheluzzi

Defending champion: Daniel Hillier
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1979), Greg Norman (1982), Robert Allenby (1996)
Prize money: $US3.5 million
TV times: Live 9:30pm-1am Thursday on Fox Sports 503; Live 9:30pm-3am Friday; Live 9:30pm-2:30am Saturday; Live 9pm-2am Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.

LPGA Tour
FM Championship
TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts
2:37am            Robyn Choi
2:37am*           Hira Naveed
2:59am            Hannah Green
3:10am*           Grace Kim
3:32am            Stephanie Kyriacou
4:16am            Sarah Jane Smith

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US3.8 million
TV times: Live 5:30am-8:30am Friday, Saturday; Live 4:30am-7:30am Sunday; Live 3:30am-6:30am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.

Asian Tour
Mandiri Indonesia Open
Damai Indah Golf (PIK Cse), Indonesia
9:40am             Sam Brazel
9:40am*           Marcus Fraser
10:30am          Maverick Antcliff
10:40am          Deyen Lawson
10:50am          Louis Dobbelaar
10:50am*         Connor McDade
11am*             Denzel Ieremia (NZ)
11:10am          Harrison Crowe
2:10pm            Jordan Zunic
2:20pm            Lachlan Barker
2:20pm*          Douglas Klein
2:30pm            Todd Sinnott
2:40pm            Scott Hend
2:40pm*          Kevin Yuan
2:50pm*          Jack Thompson
3pm                 Travis Smyth
3pm*               Andrew Dodt
3:10pm            Brendan Jones
3:20pm*          Aaron Wilkin
3:30pm*          Justin Warren

Defending champion: Nitithorn Thippong
Past Aussie winners: Terry Gale (1984), Craig Parry (1997), Nick Cullen (2012)
Prize money: $US500,000

Japan Golf Tour
Fujisankei Classic
Fujizakura Country Club, Yamanashi
8:30am            Anthony Quayle
12:50pm*         Brad Kennedy
1:25pm             Michael Hendry (NZ)

Defending champion: Takumi Kanaya
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1973, 1974), Paul Sheehan (2004)
Prize money: ¥110 million

Ladies European Tour
KPMG Women’s Irish Open
Carton House (The O’Meara Cse), Ireland
Australasians in the field: Whitney Hillier, Kirsten Rudgeley, Momoka Kobori (NZ), Kelsey Bennett, Amy Walsh

Defending champion: Smilla Tarning Soenderby
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €400,000
TV times: Live 1am-4am Friday, Saturday; Live 12:30am-2am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.

PGA TOUR Americas
CRMC Championship
Craguns Legacy Course, Brainerd, Minnesota
10:30pm*         Harry Hillier (NZ)
11pm               Grant Booth
4:40am*           Charlie Hillier (NZ)

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000

Challenge Tour
Rosa Challenge Tour
Rosa Golf Club, Konopiska, Poland
3:30pm            Andrew Martin
4:20pm*          Connor McKinney
8:30pm*          Hayden Hopewell
9:20pm*          Blake Windred

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €270,000

LET Access Series
Get Golfing Women’s Golf Championship
The Club at Mill Green, England
Australasians in the field: Kristalle Blum, Stephanie Bunque, Wenyung Keh (NZ), Munchin Keh (NZ)

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €80,000

Epson Tour
Four Winds Invitational
South Bend Country Club, South Bend, Indiana
10:11pm*         Su Oh
10:44pm          Fiona Xu (NZ)
3:45am*           Amelia Garvey (NZ)
3:56am*           Cassie Porter
4:29am            Maddison Hinson-Tolchard

Defending champion: Gabriela Ruffels
Past Aussie winners: Julia Boland (2012), Gabriela Ruffels (2024)
Prize money: $US262,500

Korean PGA Tour
Lexus Masters
A1 Country Club, Korea
7:50am            Sungjin Yeo (NZ)
8:50am            Kevin Chun (NZ)
9:20am            Wonjoon Lee
9:30am            Changgi Lee (NZ)
12:30pm          Junseok Lee

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: KRW1 billion

Legends Tour
HSBC India Legends Championship hosted by Jeev Milkha Singh
Jaypee Greens, Delhi
Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Michael Long (NZ)

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US500,000

Sunshine Tour
Gary and Vivienne Player Challenge
Kyalami Country Club, Midrand, South Africa
7:30pm            Austin Bautista
Defending champion: Gerhard Pepler
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: R2 million