A Primer for the 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs, Where $75 Million Is Up for Grabs
This is the 17th year of the FedEx Cup playoffs, and there’s been considerable change since it launched in 2007. But perhaps the biggest came this year, as the starting field has been reduced to just 70 players, down from the 125 that started last year's playoffs in Memphis.
Here are a few of the highlights:
> The total FedEx Cup bonus pool is worth $75 million, with players from 31st in the standings (not making the Tour Championship) to 150th earning deferred compensation.
> The FedEx St. Jude Invitational is the first event this week at TPC Southwind, featuring the top 70 players in points. The top 50 following the FedEx St. Jude advance to the BMW Championship, this year at Olympia Fields Country Club outside of Chicago; then the top 30 from there head to Atlanta for the Tour Championship.
The points have quadrupled from a regular event to the playoffs, meaning that instead of 500 points the winner will receive 2,000 points at the FedEx and BMW Championship, and points have been subsequently points adjusted down the line.
> The top 50 is significant for more than just getting to the BMW. It assures those of being eligible for all eight of the designated events in 2024, including the Sentry Tournament of Champions, even if the player didn’t win this year.
> The top 30 is significant for more than just getting to the Tour Championship. The Masters, U.S. Open and British Open all give exemptions to players who finish among the top 30 in points.
> For those who finish outside of the top 50 after the FedEx St. Jude, the fall events become a place to try and earn a spot in the first two designated events of 2024 following the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Their FedEx points will carry over into the fall and the top 10 players not otherwise exempt for Pebble Beach and the Genesis Invitational will earn a spot in those fields.
There will be seven such events starting with the Fortinet Championship in September. These events will also be an opportunity for those close to the 125 number to solidify their spot or move in to be fully exempt for regular events in 2024.
> The first two playoff events will also impact the U.S. Ryder Cup team. The six automatic qualifiers will be determined following the BMW Championship on Aug. 20, with the remaining six at-large picks for captain Zach Johnson to be chosen following the Tour Championship.
> Once in Atlanta, the format is altered to the starting strokes formula that went into effect in 2019. Players are assigned a starting score based on their accumulated points. The leader starts at -10, with the second-place points finisher through the BMW starting at -8 all the way down to the bottom five players in the field starting at even par.
There is no individual tournament winner, just an overall FedEx Cup champion. The player with the low 72-hole score, however, is awarded first-place points via the Official World Ranking, even if he does not win the FedEx Cup. The FedEx Cup champion, however, is credited with a PGA Tour victory.
The winner gets $18 million, second place is awarded $6.5 million and 10th gets $1 million, all the way down to $85,000 to those who finish from 125th to 150th.