The winner of this year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs will bank a massive $18million as part of the $75million in bonus funds up for grabs to the top 125 players on the PGA Tour.
With the huge money on offer at LIV Golf tournaments, the prize money on the PGA Tour has gone up markedly throughout the year, and the FedEx Cup is no different, with this year’s champion getting a $3million bump to the $15million won by Patrick Cantlay last year. The difference between first and second is a massive $11.5million, with the runner-up having to settle for a $6.5million payday. The top 10 are all guaranteed a seven-figure prize.
FEDEX CUP PRIZE MONEY
- 1st: $18million
- 2nd: $6.5million
- 3rd: $5million
- 4th: $4million
- 5th: $3million
- 6th: $2.5million
- 7th: $2million
- 8th: $1.5million
- 9th: $1.25million
- 10th: $1million
The top 125 players on the PGA Tour’s FedEx eligibility list - a new list which was first released in June, replacing the FedEx standings in order to remove the LIV Golf players - are in action this week in the first tournament of the playoffs, the FedEx St Jude Championship. The top 70 will then advance to the BMW Championship, with the top 30 after that making it to the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where the winner will be crowned.
Just for making the top 125 and to the FedEx St Jude Championship tee, everyone is guaranteed $120,000. Make it to the top 70 and the BMW Championship and they have $175,000 locked up, and progress to the top 30 and the Tour Championship and the minimum payday is $500,000.
While the players who top the season list do have some advantage, it’s not impossible for those further down to catch up, given the points format used in the playoffs. All FedEx points awarded in the St Jude and the BMW Championship are quadrupled in comparison to regular season events, so whereas Joohyung Kim received 500 points for winning last week’s Wyndham Championship, the winners this week at TPC Southwind in Memphis, and next week at Wilmington Country Club, will get 2,000, massively boosting their position. Only six players had more than the 2,000 on offer for winning when the FedEx St Jude Championship teed off.
Scottie Scheffler topped the eligibility list with 3,555.980 points, more than 1200 clear of second-placed Cameron Smith after his stellar season. Rickie Fowler was the 125th and last qualifier with 323.797 points, so with two wins even Fowler could head into the Tour Championship in the lead (although for now Rickie’s target is to finish 11th or better in the FedEx St Jude Championship, his minimum to have any chance of making the BMW Championship).
The starting positions for the Tour Championship are important because players are given stroke advantages depending where they finished. The points leader at that stage begins at 10-under-par, second in points starts at 8-under, third starts at 6-under and so on, meaning the best golfer over the season tees off in the lead.
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP STARTING SCORES
- 1st: -10
- 2nd: -8
- 3rd: -7
- 4th: -6
- 5th: -5
- 6th-10th: -4
- 11th-15th: -3
- 16th-20th: -2
- 21st-25th: -1
- 26th-30th: Even
The last three winners of the FedEx Cup - Patrick Cantlay, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy - have started first, fifth and first, underlining the importance of finishing as high up the points list as possible.
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