FedEx Cup Primer: Everything You Need to Know About the PGA Tour's Playoffs

This week, the three-event FedEx Cup playoffs begin. At the end, one player will win $18 million. Here's how it works.

For the 16th year, the PGA Tour season comes to an end with the FedEx Cup playoffs, where 125 players are eventually whittled down to 30 for the Tour Championship and one emerges as the winner, with a Tiffany and Co.-designed trophy and $18 million.

Here's everything to know about the playoffs.

Who is the Defending Champion?

Do you remember without peeking? Patrick Cantlay won last year. He'll begin his FedEx Cup defense from fifth on the points list; his 10 top-10s led the PGA Tour. 

Other past FedEx Cup champions in the field are Rory McIlroy (twice a winner), Justin Rose, Justin Thomas and Billy Horschel.

How Much Money Is at Stake?

Money has been the theme of the summer in golf, from the LIV Golf Invitational Series to record purses in men's and women's majors. Now it's the PGA Tour's turn.

The purses for this week's FedEx St. Jude Championship and next week's BMW Championship are both $15 million, with $2.7 million awarded to the winner. The Tour hasn't had a purse that big since March's $20 million Players Championship.

At the Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup bonus money and the purse are one in the same. The winner of the Tour Championship is the winner of the FedEx Cup, and takes home $18 million. Here are the top 10 prizes:

WIN: $18 million
2. $6.5 million
3. $5 million
4. $4 million
5. $3 million
6. $2.5 million
7. $2 million
8. $1.5 million
9. $1.25 million
10. $1 million

All 30 players in the field at the Tour Championship will make at least $500,000. The entire FedEx Cup bonus pool is $75 million, and it's paid all the way down to the 150th player on the points list—meaning those ranked 126-150 who didn't qualify for the playoffs will still get paid, in this case $85,000 each in deferred money.

How Are Points Allotted? 

All players begin the playoffs with their regular-season points. Scottie Scheffler, the leader, will tee off this week with his 3,556 points, 1,221 more than Cameron Smith. Rickie Fowler, sneaking inside the cutoff, begins the playoffs with 324 points.

Then, matters can get interesting. Playoff points are quadrupled from most regular-season events, from 500 for the winner to 2000, and on through the field. So it's possible that Scheffler, for all his success during the season, could leave the FedEx St. Jude Championship without the points lead. And that the last 30 left standing in Atlanta could include some players who got hot over the first two playoff events.

How Is The Field Cut Down?

The first playoff event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, will have 125 players. A 36-hole cut will be made to the low 65 and ties, and the top 70 on the points list at the end of the event will advance to the BMW Championship at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware.

The BMW Championship is a no-cut event, and the top 30 after that advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.

Isn't the Scoring Unusual at the Finale?

Starting in 2019, the PGA Tour instituted a "starting strokes" format for the finale. The points leader coming into the Tour Championship is awarded the lead and all others will trail him in a leaderboard that looks like this at the start of the event:

Points leader: 10 under
2. 8 under
3. 7 under
4. 6 under
5. 5 under
6-10. 4 under
11-15: 3 under
16-20: 2 under
21-25: 1 under
26-30: Even

Does That Format Work?

In 2019, the first year of the "starting strokes," Rory McIlroy began the Tour Championship at 5 under, five shots off the lead. He then shot 13 under for the event, three shots clear of the field, and his total score of 18 under was enough to win the Cup.

In 2020 (Dustin Johnson) and 2021 (Patrick Cantlay), there was less intrigue as those two were points leaders coming into East Lake and no one could overtake them.

What's Coming Next Year?

More money, and fewer players battling for it. The purses for the first two playoff events will be $20 million, and 70 will play the first event. That will be cut to 50 for the second event, then the usual 30 for the finale.