FedEx Cup: The Money War Gets a Makeover

Three Playoff Events Feature $140 Million Prize Pool
Bonus Stroke System Abolished This Year, All Players Have Equal Chance
Defending Champion Scheffler Emerges as Strong Favorite
Im Sungjae Ties for Second, Achieves Best Finish Ever by a Korean Player

Now it is a $140 million (about 194.9 billion won) money war.

The PGA Tour is launching the FedEx Cup Playoffs. After the Wyndham Championship, the final event of the regular season which began on July 31 (local time), the FedEx Cup Playoffs will immediately follow. Starting with the first playoff event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind near Memphis, Tennessee, on August 7, the second event, the BMW Championship (August 14-17 at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland), and the final Tour Championship (August 21-24 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta) will be held in succession.

Scottie Scheffler (left) and Rory McIlroy are the top golfers competing for the FedEx Cup title this year.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs introduced changes starting this year. The Tour Championship will now be played as a 72-hole stroke play event with all players starting at even par. From 2019 until last year, the Tour Championship began with players receiving bonus strokes based on their FedEx Cup ranking points. After the second playoff event, players ranked 1st to 30th would start with predetermined scores: 1st place at 10-under-par, 2nd at 8-under, 7th at 7-under, and so on. This format was criticized for giving too much advantage to the top-ranked players and reducing excitement in the final event. With the abolition of bonus strokes, all 30 participants now have a chance to win.

There have also been changes to course setup and entry qualifications. The course will be set up to enhance competitiveness, aiming to heighten the tension and drama of the FedEx Cup championship. While the field will remain an elite event limited to the top 30 players as before, the tour will further review adjustments to season qualification criteria and participant numbers. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (USA) welcomed the changes, saying, "I hope the FedEx Cup trophy becomes the hardest title to win."

The FedEx Cup Playoffs feature enormous prize money. The PGA Tour expanded the total prize pool further due to the launch of LIV Golf, backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF). Until 2022, the first and second playoff events each offered a total prize of $15 million. Starting in 2023, the prize for each of the first two events increased by $5 million, making the total prize for each $20 million (about 27.8 billion won).

The PGA Tour also adjusted the way it distributes bonus money to top FedEx Cup players. The $100 million bonus pool will now be distributed in three stages. Previously, the Tour Championship winner, who became the FedEx Cup champion, received $25 million out of the total $100 million in a lump sum. This time, the bonuses will be distributed differently based on results after the end of the regular season, after the second playoff event, and after the final event.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs bring together the season's top performers. The FedEx St. Jude Championship is open only to the top 70 in the FedEx Cup rankings. Based on results from this event, only the top 50 advance to the BMW Championship, and only the top 30 qualify for the Tour Championship. These are bonus events with no cut.

In the history of the FedEx Cup, "golf emperor" Tiger Woods (USA) and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) are indispensable figures. The FedEx Cup was launched in 2007, with Woods as its inaugural champion. He played all four playoff events that year and took home a $10 million bonus. However, the format at the time determined the winner by accumulated points, so it was possible to become the champion without winning the final event. Woods finished runner-up in the final event but secured the overall victory by leading in points. In 2009, Woods again fended off Phil Mickelson (USA) by finishing second in the Tour Championship.

The FedEx Cup has seen a new champion each year. In 2019, there was once again a multiple-time winner. Rory McIlroy, known as the "post-Tiger Woods," was the star. Although he won two playoff events in 2012 but finished second overall, he finally clinched his first title in 2016, four years later. In 2019, starting from fifth place in the FedEx Cup rankings, he staged a dramatic comeback to win the title. In 2022, he made history by becoming the first three-time FedEx Cup champion.

This year, the strongest players are once again competing for the top. The leading favorite is Scheffler, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the FedEx Cup. He has claimed four victories this year, including two majors, and leads the PGA Tour in wins, prize money, and scoring average. McIlroy is also a strong contender, having completed a career Grand Slam with his Masters victory this year. World No. 3 Xander Schauffele (USA) and others are also close to becoming FedEx Cup champions.

Sungjae Im achieved the highest-ever finish for a Korean player by securing the runner-up position in the 2022 FedEx Cup.

The best FedEx Cup result by a Korean player is runner-up. In 2022, Im Sungjae reached the Tour Championship for the fourth consecutive year and finished tied for second, just one shot behind the winner. He broke the previous record for the best finish by an Asian player in the FedEx Cup, which was fifth place by "Tank" Choi Kyungju in 2007. Im Sungjae received a bonus of $5.75 million (about 8 billion won) at that time. He is currently ranked 30th in the FedEx Cup and is likely to qualify for the final Tour Championship.