The FedEx Cup is the championship trophy for the PGA Tour. Its introduction in 2007 marked the first time that men's professional golf had a playoff system. Since its inception, the competition has been sponsored by FedEx. In 2022, the PGA Tour added the FedEx St. Jude Championship to the tournament, expanding the partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as the tournament's designated charity.[1]

FedEx Cup
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 FedEx Cup Playoffs
SportGolf
Founded2007
CountryBased in the United States
Most recent
champion(s)
United States Scottie Scheffler
Most titlesNorthern Ireland Rory McIlroy (3)
TV partner(s)CBS Sports
NBC Sports/Golf Channel
Official websitewww.pgatour.com/fedexcup.html Edit this at Wikidata

The FedEx Cup is a season long competition. Points are awarded based on finishing position in all PGA Tour sanctioned tournaments. The leading points earners throughout the regular season qualify for the playoffs. Players are further eliminated after each of the first two playoff events, with the leading 30 points earners qualifying for the Tour Championship.

Scottie Scheffler is the current champion, after he won the Tour Championship in 2024.

Rory McIlroy has the most titles with three. The only other player to win multiple FedEx Cups is Tiger Woods, with two.

Rule changes

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The PGA Tour adjusted the rules around the FedEx Cup in each of the two years after its introduction in 2007. Each set of changes was introduced to address issues that arose the previous year, particularly with the playoffs portion of the FedEx Cup:

  • In February 2008, the changes were designed to allow more golfers a chance to improve their positions on the points list as the playoffs progress. The changes involve a tightening of the playoff reset points and awarding more points to playoff participants. This is effectively a penalty on those players who skip a playoff event.[2]
  • In November 2008, the changes were designed to help ensure that the championship would not be won until every golfer who qualified finished playing the final playoff event. This resulted from the fact that Vijay Singh had accumulated enough points through the first three playoff events in 2008 to guarantee that he would win the Cup without finishing the final event.[3]
  • In 2013, FedEx Cup points began to determine the 125 golfers who would retain their PGA Tour playing privileges (popularly known as "tour cards") for the following season.[4] Previously, this was determined by position on the tour's money list at the end of the year.

In 2019, the total bonus pool was increased by $25 million to $70 million, with the FedEx Cup champion earning $15 million. Among that $70 million was a $10 million Regular Season bonus pool, sponsored by Wyndham, tied to the final Regular Season FedEx Cup standings. This recognized the 10 players who earn the most FedEx Cup points through the Wyndham Championship, with the Regular Season champion earning $2 million. Beginning in 2021, the Regular Season bonus pool became sponsored by Comcast Business.[5] As of 2022, the Regular Season Bonus Pool was $20 million with the champion earning $4 million.[6] Also in 2019, the FedEx Cup Playoffs finale, the Tour Championship, instituted a strokes-based system, FedEx Cup Starting Strokes.[7] In 2022, the FedEx Cup bonus pool purse increased to $75 million, with the winner's share coming in at $18,000,000.[8]

At the conclusion of the regular season (after the Wyndham Championship), the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings become eligible to play in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, a series of three events over the month of August (from 2007 to 2018, the FedEx Cup Playoffs included four events).[9]

Points earned during the PGA Tour Regular Season carry over to the Playoffs. The FedEx Cup Playoffs events feature a progressive cut, with fields of 70 for FedEx St. Jude Championship, 50 for the BMW Championship and 30 for the Tour Championship held annually at East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia, where the FedEx Cup Champion is determined.[10]

In the event an eligible player is unable or chooses not to play, the field is shortened and no alternates are added. Points from the missing positions are not awarded. The FedEx St. Jude Championship, the BMW Championship and Tour Championship are no-cut events.[10]

The first two Playoffs events award 2,000 points to the winner (quadruple points of Regular Season events).

The Tour Championship features a strokes-based system (FedEx Cup Starting Strokes) instituted for the first time in 2019. The FedEx Cup points leader after the first two Playoffs events begins the Tour Championship at 10-under par. The No. 2 player will start at 8 under. The No. 3 player starts at 7 under; the No. 4 player starts at 6 under; the No. 5 player starts at 5 under. Players 6–10 start at 4 under; players 11–15 start at 3 under; players 16–20 start at 2 under; players 21–25 start at 1 under; and players 26–30 start at even par.[7] At the Tour Championship, the player with the lowest aggregate score over 72 holes when combined with his FedEx Cup Starting Strokes wins the Tour Championship and is also crowned FedEx Cup champion. The Tour Championship win is considered an official victory and the FedEx Cup champion also earns a bonus of $25 million and a five-year PGA Tour exemption.[7]

Format

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Brandt Snedeker reacting to winning the FedEx Cup at the 2012 Tour Championship

Qualifying for the playoffs

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The season structure changed beginning in the fall of 2013,[4] but the qualifying criteria have not changed since 2009.

The first part of the season is known as the "regular season" starting in January, culminating in three events called the "playoffs" in August.

Players earn points in each event they play. For all regular-season PGA Tour events, 500 FedEx Cup points are awarded to the winner, with points also being earned by every player making the cut. In "signature events", 700 FedEx Cup points go to the winner, while 750 points are given to the champion of the four majors and the Players. Lastly, 300 points are given to the winner of any event played in the same week as a major or signature event.

The goal is to be among the top 70 points leaders following the final event of the regular season.[9]

Only those players who are regular full-time members of the PGA Tour earn points. A non-member who joins the PGA Tour in mid-season is eligible to earn points in the first event he plays after officially joining the Tour.

At the end of the regular season, the top 70 players participate in the playoffs.

The number of points awarded for winning each playoff event is 2000, which is four times the amount awarded for a typical regular season tournament. Points won in playoff events are added to those for the regular season, and the fields are reduced as the playoffs proceed. Since 2013 the top 125 on the FedEx Cup points list also retain their tour cards for the following season.[4]

After the second playoff event, as of 2019, the FedEx Cup points leader after the first two playoff events begins the Tour Championship at 10-under par. The No. 2 player starts at 8 under. The No. 3 player starts at 7 under; the No. 4 player starts at 6 under; the No. 5 player starts at 5 under. Players 6–10 start at 4 under; players 11–15 start at 3 under; players 16–20 start at 2 under; players 21–25 start at 1 under; and players 26–30 start at even par.[7] At the Tour Championship, the player with the lowest aggregate score over 72 holes when combined with his FedEx Cup Starting Strokes wins the Tour Championship and is also crowned FedEx Cup champion. The Tour Championship win is considered an official victory and the FedEx Cup champion also earns a bonus of $18 million and a five-year PGA Tour exemption.[7]

Playoff events

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Event Players
FedEx St. Jude Championship Top 70 points leaders
(after the Wyndham Championship)
BMW Championship Top 50 points leaders
(after the FedEx St. Jude Championship)
Tour Championship Top 30 points leaders
(after the BMW Championship)

If an eligible player skips a playoff event, no alternates are added and the field is reduced accordingly.

Playoff rewards

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The Trophy

As of 2022, the player with the most points after the Tour Championship wins the FedEx Cup itself and $18 million of a $75 million bonus fund. The runner-up gets $6.5 million, 3rd place $5 million, 4th place $4 million, 5th place $3 million, and so on down to $85,000 for 126th through 150th place.[8] Beginning with the 2013 season, non-exempt players who finish 126th-150th in the FedEx Cup are given conditional PGA Tour status, but can attempt to improve their status via qualifying school.

In 2007, the money was placed into their tax-deferred retirement accounts, not given in cash. Players under 45 are not able to access any 2007 FedEx Cup bonuses (as opposed to prize money earned in the tournaments themselves) until turning 45. They can invest their bonus in any manner they choose, and once they turn 45, can choose to defer payment until they turn 60 or play in fewer than 15 PGA Tour events in a season. Once a player chooses to take payments from his fund, he will receive monthly checks for five years.[11][12]

Because of possible legislation affecting deferred retirement plans, in the wake of business stories that speculated that Tiger Woods could amass a $1 billion retirement fund if he won the FedEx Cup six more times, the PGA Tour announced a change to the payout system effective in 2008. The top 10 finishers now receive the bulk of their FedEx Cup bonuses in cash up front; for example, the 2008 FedEx Cup champion received $9 million up front and $1 million in his tax-deferred retirement account. FedEx Cup bonuses to finishers below the top 10 are still paid solely into the players' retirement accounts.[13]

The winner of the FedEx Cup also receives a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, mirroring the exemption that was given to the tour's leading money winner prior to 2017. Before the change in format in 2019 that made it impossible for the FedEx Cup and the Tour Championship to be won by two different players, the Tour Championship winner received a three-year exemption. Winners of other playoff events receive only the standard 2-year exemption.

Since 2013, the FedEx Cup standings have been the primary means of determining exemption status for the following year; the 125 players who qualify for the playoffs are fully exempt. Players who finish 126th through 150th, if not exempt through other means such as a recent tournament win, retain conditional status; these, along with finishers 151 through 200, are eligible for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, through which they may regain their cards if not already exempt.[4]

Before 2013, the money list rather than the FedEx Cup standings determined exemption status. Since the money and point distributions were different and the money list was not finalized until after the Fall Series, it was common for players to qualify for the playoffs and still lose their card at the end of the season.

Winners

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Year Winner Score/
points
Margin Playoffs Regular season
Events Wins Ranking Points Events
2024   Scottie Scheffler −30 4 strokes 3 1 1 6,615 18
2023   Viktor Hovland −27 5 strokes 3 2 7 1,795 20
2022   Rory McIlroy (3) −21 1 stroke 3 1 6 2,104 13
2021   Patrick Cantlay −21 1 stroke 3 2 3 2,056 21
2020   Dustin Johnson −21 3 strokes 3 2 15 1,071 11
2019   Rory McIlroy (2) −18 4 strokes 3 1 5 2,842 18
2018   Justin Rose 2,260 41 4 0 4 1,991 14
2017   Justin Thomas 3,000 660 4 1 2 2,689 21
2016   Rory McIlroy 3,120 740 4 2 36 973 14
2015   Jordan Spieth 3,800 1,493 4 1 1 4,169 21
2014   Billy Horschel 4,750 1,650 4 2 69 722 23
2013   Henrik Stenson 4,750 2,007 4 2 9 1,426 14
2012   Brandt Snedeker 4,100 1,273 4 1 19 1,194 18
2011   Bill Haas 2,760 15 4 1 15 1,273 22
2010   Jim Furyk 2,980 252 3 1 3 1,691 18
2009   Tiger Woods (2) 4,000 1,080 4 1 1 3,341 13
2008   Vijay Singh 125,101 551 4 2 7 15,034 19
2007   Tiger Woods 123,033 12,578 3 2 1 30,574 13

Individual tournament winners

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Year FedEx St. Jude Championship BMW Championship Tour Championship
2024   Hideki Matsuyama   Keegan Bradley (2/2)   Scottie Scheffler
2023   Lucas Glover   Viktor Hovland (1/2)   Viktor Hovland (2/2)
2022   Will Zalatoris   Patrick Cantlay (3/3)   Rory McIlroy (6/6)
Year The Northern Trust BMW Championship Tour Championship
2021   Tony Finau   Patrick Cantlay (1/3)   Patrick Cantlay (2/3)
2020   Dustin Johnson (5/6)   Jon Rahm   Dustin Johnson (6/6)
2019   Patrick Reed (2/2)   Justin Thomas (2/2)   Rory McIlroy (5/6)
Year The Northern Trust Dell Technologies Championship BMW Championship Tour Championship
2018   Bryson DeChambeau (1/2)   Bryson DeChambeau (2/2)   Keegan Bradley (1/2)   Tiger Woods (4/4)
2017   Dustin Johnson (4/6)   Justin Thomas (1/2)   Marc Leishman   Xander Schauffele
2016   Patrick Reed (1/2)   Rory McIlroy (3/6)   Dustin Johnson (3/6)   Rory McIlroy (4/6)
2015   Jason Day (1/2)   Rickie Fowler   Jason Day (2/2)   Jordan Spieth
2014   Hunter Mahan   Chris Kirk   Billy Horschel (1/2)   Billy Horschel (2/2)
2013   Adam Scott   Henrik Stenson (1/2)   Zach Johnson   Henrik Stenson (2/2)
2012   Nick Watney   Rory McIlroy (1/6)   Rory McIlroy (2/6)   Brandt Snedeker
2011   Dustin Johnson (2/6)   Webb Simpson   Justin Rose   Bill Haas
2010   Matt Kuchar   Charley Hoffman   Dustin Johnson (1/6)   Jim Furyk
2009   Heath Slocum   Steve Stricker (2/2)   Tiger Woods (3/4)   Phil Mickelson (2/2)
2008   Vijay Singh (1/2)   Vijay Singh (2/2)   Camilo Villegas (1/2)   Camilo Villegas (2/2)
2007   Steve Stricker (1/2)   Phil Mickelson (1/2)   Tiger Woods (1/4)   Tiger Woods (2/4)

Career FedEx Cup bonus leaders

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Players who have $8 million or more in total FedEx Cup bonus money (2007–2024)
Amounts won (US$ thousands) each year and in total are shown, with  1st place ,  2nd place , and  3rd place  yearly finishes highlighted
Player Total 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
  Rory McIlroy 56,052 140 3,000 125 2,000 250 10,000 110 275 15,000 960 584 18,000 4,000 1,608
  Scottie Scheffler 35,717 2,500 467 5,750 2,000 25,000
  Xander Schauffele 29,283 2,000 250 5,000 4,500 2,200 4,000 6,500 4,833
  Tiger Woods 28,863 10,000 110 10,000 133 32 2,000 3,000 3,000 169 150
  Dustin Johnson 27,057 32 270 1,000 1,500 600 280 175 700 3,000 1,500 1,500 400 15,000 1,100
  Justin Thomas 25,940 155 290 10,000 700 3,500 4,500 3,000 2,750 140 905
  Viktor Hovland 22,413 498 2,200 715 18,000 1,000
  Patrick Cantlay 17,577 180 225 478 186 15,000 1,750 3,000 755
  Collin Morikawa 12,500 12,500
  Jordan Spieth 16,961 700 250 10,000 550 3,000 165 167 101 498 825 530 175
  Justin Rose 15,645 245 70 75 248 1,000 800 500 300 600 120 550 10,000 430 105 70 120 221 191
  Jim Furyk 15,407 300 1,000 1,500 10,000 140 250 270 1,500 180 75 32 160
  Billy Horschel 14,443 32 245 10,000 110 125 133 1,000 168 395 890 600 130 615
  Henrik Stenson 13,863 136 32 70 10,000 115 3,000 140 155 110 105
  Brandt Snedeker 12,955 225 145 150 138 600 10,000 290 75 210 250 80 135 451 101 105
  Adam Scott 12,422 290 128 70 230 245 200 1,500 290 70 1,500 80 120 1,900 171 105 550 140 4,833
  Bill Haas 11,545 32 80 134 165 10,000 155 205 243 190 129 142 70
  Jon Rahm 11,278 1,000 210 683 3,000 5,000 715 670
  Vijay Singh 11,272 500 10,000 75 110 185 150 32 75 70 75
  Im Sung-jae 10,825 513 750 498 5,750 565 2,750
  Phil Mickelson 9,024 2,000 700 3,000 280 250 1,000 550 110 110 245 145 220 164 110 140
  Steve Stricker 8,682 3,000 270 2,000 700 235 225 2,000 70 80 70 32
  Sahith Theegala 8,270 520 250 7,500

Source[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "FedEx St. Jude Championship 2024". www.stjude.org. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  2. ^ "The Changes: What to know". PGA Tour. February 28, 2008. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  3. ^ "Five key structural changes about '09 FedExCup". PGA Tour. September 24, 2011. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Dell, John (August 23, 2012). "Web.com impact expanded with qualifying changes". PGA Tour. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  5. ^ "Comcast Business Sponsors Tour Top 10". Business.Comcast.com. March 30, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  6. ^ "Scottie Scheffler finishes No. 1 in Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10". PGA Tour. August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e "FedEx Cup 101". PGA Tour. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "FedEx Cup bonus pool, purse, winner's share, prize money payout for 2022 and beyond". Golf News Net. February 7, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "PGA Tour FedExCup Overview". PGA Tour. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "How it works: FedExCup Playoffs". PGA Tour. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Van Sickle, Gary (August 21, 2007). "A Guide to the FedEx Cup". Golf.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  12. ^ Wetzel, Dan (September 4, 2007). "Billion to one". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  13. ^ "PGA Tour will have two-week break for Ryder Cup". ESPN. Associated Press. November 13, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  14. ^ "FedExCup Bonus Money". PGA Tour. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
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