The FedEx Cup Playoffs began in 2007, long enough ago that only two of this year\u2019s 70 participants (Justin Rose and Adam Scott) played on the PGA Tour before their creation.<\/p>\n
Yet as it turns 20, this will be the last year of the tour\u2019s postseason as we\u2019ve come to know it. Exactly what will replace the three-week, three-tournament, stroke-play dash to crown at FedEx Cup champion is still a work in progress; CEO Brian Rolapp is expected to have some more answers when he meets with the media on the Tuesday prior to this year\u2019s Tour Championship. In June at the Travelers Championship, he revealed that the plan was to create a reimagined Tour Championship that that will include match play and rotate among some of the most prestigious courses in the U.S., including venues the tour has never before visited.<\/p>\n
Will the Playoffs and the courses that host them\u2014in this case TPC Southwind, Bellerive and East Lake\u2014receive the kind of send-off afforded a retiring athlete playing a farewell season? Doubtful. Still, there are millions of dollars up for grabs, and finishing in the top 30 in the FedEx Cup points list to qualify for the Tour Championship will all but secure you spots in all four majors in 2027, so there\u2019s plenty of reasons for players to get up for the next few weeks even as they might happily be waving good-bye.<\/p>\n
But before they go away, here\u2019s a quick refresher on what awaits as the playoffs come to a close.<\/p>\n
When are the FedEx Cup Playoffs played?<\/p>\n
Here is the three-tournament schedule:<\/p>\n
FedEx St. Jude Championship, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Aug. 13-16<\/p>\n
BMW Championship, Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, Aug. 20-23<\/p>\n
Tour Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Aug. 27-30<\/p>\n
How many golfers will play in each of the three events?<\/p>\n
The top 70 players off the FedEx Cup eligibility points list<\/a> will be in the field at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The top 50 after St. Jude move on to the BMW Championship. The top 30 after Caves Valley reach the Tour Championship.<\/p>\n How is the FedEx Cup winner decided?<\/p>\n The playoffs and their payouts have changed\u2014a lot\u2014over the years, with the most recent update coming in 2025. That’s when PGA Tour officials decided to do away with the staggered-start format for the Tour Championship, and having everyone once again start at even and play a 72-hole stroke-play tournament. The winner at East Lake will be the FedEx Cup champion and earns a $10 million prize money payout from a purse for that week of $40 million.<\/p>\n But isn’t there $100 million more on the line?<\/p>\n Yes. It’s just that instead of the results from the Tour Championship determining how much players get from the $100 million overall FedEx Cup prize fund\u2014with the winner previously taking home $25 million\u2014the tour is now giving out portions based on the FedEx Cup points standings after the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship (the final event of the regular season) and after the BMW Championship.<\/p>\n The top 10 after the Wyndham will split $20 million, with the person in first place getting $10 million (congrats to Scottie Scheffler, who locked up the No. 1 spot even before the start of the Wyndham Championship). The top 30 after the BMW will share nearly $23 million, with the No. 1 player heading into the Tour Championship earning $5 million.<\/p>\n The remaining FedEx Cup prize money is what makes up the purse at East Lake, with the winner as previously mentioned earning $10 million.<\/p>\n How this changes things from previous years can be found in the example of Jon Rahm from 2023. The Spaniard at the time was No. 1 in the standings at the end of the Wyndham, No. 4 after the BMW but played poorly in the Tour Championship; his bonus for that now would be $12.2 million. In \u201923, those same positions got him a bonus of $670,000.<\/p>\n Meantime, if Scheffler can remain No. 1 after the BMW and then win the Tour Championship, he\u2019d earn $25 million (plus another $8 million for being the winner of the Comcast Business top 10 at the end of the regular season).<\/p>\n Are there payouts if you don\u2019t make the Tour Championship?<\/p>\n Yes, after the season ends at the Tour Championship, players who finished 31st through 150th in the points standings will earn a share $17 million of bonus money that will be paid out as deferred compensation into their retirement fund.<\/p>\n Who are the leaders for the start of the playoffs?<\/p>\n Heading into this week\u2019s final event of the regular season, the Wyndham Championship, Scheffler held the top spot at 4,123 points\u2014794 ahead of No. 2 Matt Fitzpatrick. Rounding out the top five: 3. Cameron Young (3,157), 4. Wyndham Clark (2,255) and Chris Gotterup (2,254). Only Young, the defending Wyndham champion, is playing at Sedgefield Country Club.<\/p>\n