Final Winner Hits 23.5 Billion 'Jackpot'
Ranking No.1 Scheffler Top Favorite to Win
Im Sungjae's Historic First Top 10 Anticipation
Patrick Cantlay is seen cheering while holding the trophy after becoming the FedEx Cup champion last year.
[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] After concluding the regular season, PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) players in the United States are set to compete in a 'war of money' with a total prize pool of approximately 100 billion KRW.
The PGA Tour will begin the FedEx Cup Playoffs (PO) starting on the 11th (local time) at Southwind TPC (Par 70, 7,243 yards) near Memphis, Tennessee, with the St. Jude Championship. The FedEx Cup draws attention comparable to regular season tournaments due to its massive prize money. This year, domestic golf fans' interest has grown even more with the participation of Im Sung-jae (24), Lee Kyoung-hoon (31), Kim Si-woo (27), and Kim Joo-hyung (20), who surprised everyone by winning the last regular season event, the Wyndham Championship.
How is it played?
The FedEx Cup PO allows only the top 125 players in FedEx Cup points, earned through the regular tour season up to the Wyndham Championship, to participate. The tournament consists of three events. The first event is the St. Jude Championship, held over four days from the 11th to the 14th.
The second event, the BMW Championship, starting on the 18th, reduces the field to 70 players. Then, the top 30 survivors from there advance to the final event, the Tour Championship (25th to 28th), to determine the ultimate winner.
Unlike the regular season, players with higher points receive advantages. The first-place player starts with a 10-under-par stroke advantage. Players ranked 2nd to 5th receive stroke advantages ranging from 5 to 8 under par according to their rank. Those ranked 6th to 10th get 4 under par, 11th to 15th get 3 under par, 16th to 20th get 2 under par, 21st to 25th get 1 under par, and 26th to 30th start at even par. The higher the rank, the more advantageous the position, making it an absolutely favorable system.
Total prize money of 100 billion KRW... Comparable to major championships
The total prize money for the FedEx Cup, which spans three events, reaches $75 million (approximately 98.3 billion KRW).
Even the first event, the St. Jude Championship, offers a total prize pool of $15 million, with the winner's prize at $2.7 million. This amount is close to the US Open, which has the largest prize pool among major championships at $17.5 million.
The second event, the BMW Championship, also has a total prize pool of $15 million. The winner of the Tour Championship takes home $18 million (approximately 23.5 billion KRW).
Woods, McIlroy... Past champions are also dazzling
Tiger Woods (left) and Rory McIlroy are 'true PO champions' who have each secured two wins in the FedEx Cup.
The inaugural FedEx Cup PO champion in 2007 was the 'Golf Emperor' Tiger Woods (USA). Woods earned a $10 million bonus in this tournament, which consists of four PO events. However, at that time, the winner was determined by cumulative points, so it was possible to become champion without winning the final event. Because of this, Woods finished second in the final event but led in points to become the overall winner. Woods also held off Phil Mickelson (USA) in 2009 by finishing second in the Tour Championship.
Aside from Woods, the FedEx Cup champion changed annually for a while until 2019, when a multiple-time winner emerged again. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), known as the 'Post-Woods,' is the protagonist. McIlroy won two consecutive PO events in 2012 but finished second overall, feeling regret. However, four years later in 2016, he finally achieved his first victory. Then in 2019, starting from 5th place in the FedEx Cup rankings, he staged a dramatic comeback to become the final winner.
Rank 1 Schauffele starts at zero... Will 10th place Im Sung-jae write a drama?
This season's FedEx Cup points leader is Scottie Scheffler (USA), who is also world number one. Considering the stroke advantage, he is the strongest favorite to be champion. Scheffler has demonstrated peak form with four wins this season, including the major Masters victory. Following him are Cameron Smith (Australia), Sam Burns, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Cantlay (all USA), all aiming for a comeback victory. Rory McIlroy, world number three and FedEx Cup rank 6, is also a key player to watch to see if he can recreate his 2019 dramatic comeback. Attention is also on whether Cantlay will become the first player to win back-to-back titles.
Among Korean players, the frontrunner is Im Sung-jae, ranked 10th in the FedEx Cup (24 years old). Kim Joo-hyung (20, ranked 35th), Lee Kyoung-hoon (31, ranked 41st), and Kim Si-woo (27, ranked 50th) also advanced to the PO. Im Sung-jae finished 19th in 2019, 11th in 2020, and 20th last year. Im said, "My goal is to be in the top 10," adding, "I will focus on playing well in the PO." 'Wyndham Champion' Kim Joo-hyung dreams of winning two consecutive weeks. He said, "I suddenly won and qualified for the PO for the first time," and "I want to compete in the PO for three consecutive weeks."
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