FedEx Cup Champion to Be Decided Through Three Playoff Events
Grand Prize for Final Winner: 14.2 Billion Won Windfall
McIlroy, Scheffler, and Siwoo Kim Compete for the Top Spot
The PGA Tour is set to begin the FedEx Cup Playoffs, which feature a total prize purse of 80 million dollars (approximately KRW 114 billion). The world’s top players will compete in a final showdown for the season’s ultimate championship title and a substantial bonus.
According to the PGA Tour on August 10th, following the conclusion of the regular season’s final event—the Wyndham Championship—the tour will host the three FedEx Cup Playoff tournaments in succession starting from August 13th. The Playoffs serve as the season’s final stage for players with the best performances, featuring dramatically increased total prize money and bonuses.
The top 70 players in the FedEx Cup rankings will compete in the first event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship (August 13–16). Afterward, only the top 50 advance to the second event, the BMW Championship (August 20–23), and finally, the top 30 players face off for the season championship at the Tour Championship (August 27–30).
Rory McIlroy (left) and Scottie Scheffler will face off in a battle of pride in this year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs. Photo by PGA
The FedEx Cup was first introduced in 2007. From 2019 to 2024, the Tour Championship was played under a system in which players began with bonus strokes based on their FedEx Cup rankings—first place started at 10 under par, second at 8 under par, and so on, with staggered starting scores for each ranking.
However, this system was criticized for providing too much of an advantage to top-ranked players, thereby lessening the suspense of the final event. Starting last year, the PGA Tour abolished the bonus stroke system, and now all 30 players who qualify for the Tour Championship compete for victory under the same conditions.
The FedEx Cup Playoffs are regarded as the PGA Tour’s biggest “cash bonanza.” Since the launch of LIV Golf—backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF)—in 2022, the PGA Tour has significantly expanded its prize purses. Until 2022, the total prize for the first two Playoff events was 15 million dollars each, but starting in 2023, this increased to 20 million dollars (approximately KRW 28.5 billion) per event. The Tour Championship now boasts a total prize purse of 40 million dollars (approximately KRW 57 billion), awarding the winner with 10 million dollars (approximately KRW 14.2 billion).
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland is synonymous with FedEx Cup history. Although he won both the first and second Playoff events in 2012 but had to settle for the runner-up spot overall, he claimed his first FedEx Cup victory in 2016. In 2019, he started the finals as the fifth-ranked player and staged a comeback to win the title, and in 2022 became the first player in history to win the FedEx Cup three times.
McIlroy is once again a strong contender this year. He captured the Masters title, becoming only the sixth player in history to achieve a career Grand Slam, and reached 30 career PGA Tour victories. Although he has only played in 11 tournaments this season, he has focused on key events and is aiming for his fourth FedEx Cup title.
Kim Siwoo, who is participating in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, is boasting the best condition among Korean players this year. Photo by AFP News Agency
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States is also a top favorite for the title. With 20 PGA Tour wins (including four major victories), he has delivered consistent results this year, including a victory at the American Express, five runner-up finishes, and two third-place finishes.
Scheffler, after finishing runner-up at the 3M Open last month, skipped both the Rocket Classic and the regular season finale at the Wyndham Championship to prepare for the Playoffs. As the 2024 FedEx Cup champion, he is targeting a return to the top after two years.
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The best FedEx Cup finish by a Korean player is runner-up, achieved by Sungjae Im. Im finished tied for second at the 2022 Tour Championship, surpassing the record set by K.J. Choi, who placed fifth in the inaugural FedEx Cup in 2007—a record for Asian players at the time. Sungjae Im earned a bonus of 5.75 million dollars (approximately KRW 8.2 billion) then. This year, three Korean players—Sungjae Im, Siwoo Kim, and Tom Kim—will compete in the first Playoff event.
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