FedEx Cup Playoff Format Explained

Dan Parker explains the format of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup and how the season-ending playoffs work

Transcript

00:00The 2024 PGA Tour season marks the 18th edition of the FedExCup, the Tour's season-long points

00:06competition, which culminates with the FedExCup playoffs. Here we're going to explain just how

00:11it works over the season and how the three-event playoff structure works to crown a winner.

00:20Established in 2007, the FedExCup is a season-long points competition, offering players $100 million

00:26in bonus money and culminating with the FedExCup playoffs in August. Players vie to become the

00:33FedExCup champion, which distinguishes the one player who not only performs well during the

00:38whole regular season, but also excels in the pressure mounts during the FedExCup playoffs.

00:43The regular season is contested from January to August of a calendar year and features 36 official

00:50FedExCup events, including the Players' Championship, Major Championships, Signature Events, Full

00:56Field events, and additional events. Members of the PGA Tour earn FedExCup points based

01:02on their finishing position at a tournament. The distribution of points has been adjusted

01:06starting for the 2024 season, with an allocation of additional points to the players, majors,

01:13playoff events, and signature events. These 15 events made up of the players, four majors,

01:20signature events, and two FedExCup playoffs will award a minimum of 700 points to the winner.

01:26So winning the players is worth 750 points, having previously been worth 600. Signature events are now

01:32worth 700 points, having previously been worth 500 or 550. Full field events, i.e. one of those non-elite

01:4115 events are worth 500 points, while 300 points is awarded to the winner of an additional event.

01:46Finally, at the first two FedExCup playoff events in August, a huge 2000 points is awarded to the winner,

01:54stressing the importance of peaking right at the end of the season. At the conclusion of the regular

01:59season, following the Wyndham Championship in July, the top 70 players in the FedExCup standings

02:05are eligible to play in what is called the FedExCup playoffs, which is a series of three events at the

02:11end of the season. Points accrued during the regular season carry over into the first two

02:16playoff events, while each event features a progressive cut. So a field of 70 will take

02:22part in the FedExCup championship at TPC Southwind, while only 50 will make it to the following event,

02:29which is the BMW championship in Colorado. And then finally, the top 30 will make it to the tour

02:34championship at Eastlake in Georgia. There are no cuts during these playoff events, and it's all

02:40about making sure you accrue enough points to be in the top 70, the top 50, and then the top 30 to

02:46make it to that tour championship. So the top 30 in the FedEx point standings after the 36 regular

02:52season events and the two playoffs head to Eastlake, where effectively a new tournament begins. At the

02:58tour championship, the player with the lowest stroke total over 72 holes, combined with what's called

03:03their FedEx starting strokes, will be crowned FedEx champion. The FedEx champion wins $25 million and

03:11a five-year exemption to the PGA Tour, with a total bonus pool of $100 million going to the rest of

03:17the field. Heading into the tour championship, the FedExCup points leader, after the first two

03:23playoff events, will begin the tour championship at 10 under par. The number two player will start at

03:29eight under par. The number three player will start at seven under par. The number four player starts

03:34at six under. The number five player starts at five under. Players six to ten start at four under.

03:39Players 11 to 15 start at three under. Players 16 to 20 start at two under. Players 21 to 25 start at one

03:46under. And players 26 to 30 start at even par. From that position, the tournament begins and the

03:52player with the lowest score after 72 holes, with those scores combined, is crowned the FedExCup

03:57champion. In 2023, Victor Hovland secured the title after winning the BMW championship and then the

04:03Tour championship on the final day.