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How Does the FedEx Cup Work?

Published

12 years ago

August 28, 2012

We often hear our readers ask “how does the Fedex cup work?” So let’s go ahead and dive right into the details…

In 2007 the PGA TOUR entered a new era utilizing a season-long points competition that results in one overall winner at the end of the year.

Over the 37 weeks season, players can participate in 33 “regular season” events during which FedExCup points can be earned. The 125 players with the most points at the end of the regular season can then move on to the final four weeks of playoff events.

The 30 players with the most points through the first three playoff events then advance to the Tour Championship for a winner take all FedExCup Trophy along with $10 million in prize money.

Here’s how Players Earn Points:

The Regular Season consists of 33 pre-playoff events in which players will attempt to earn FedEx Cup points to make it to the playoffs. These points will determine seeding for the playoffs.

Official PGA TOUR events award 25,000 points spread over how the players finish; usually the winner of a weekly event wins 500 points. The 5 major events award 27,500 points and the World Golf Championship awards 26,250.

This year, Rory McIlroy earned the most points (with three tour wins) leading into the first round of the playoffs (The Barclays) where he will be placed in the No. 1 seed.

Photo by @sthamlin

The Playoffs consist of four events between late-August and mid-September. Players continue to earn points during the playoffs and the top 30 at the conclusion of the third playoff event advance to the Tour Championship for a winner take all FedEx Cup trophy and cash prize.

Accrued points are wiped clean before the final tour championship event and each of the top 30 players is given a reset number of points based on their playoff rank – 2500 points for the #1 player down to 210 points for the #30 player. This allows each of the top 30 players the opportunity to win the FedEx cup but still provides a significant advantage to the players who have achieved the highest ranks going in.

In addition to playing in the final event, the top 30 players in the Tour Championship will be guaranteed exemption for the following year.

In total, the playoff events will award 50,000 total points and over $35,000,000 in prize money will be paid out – with $10 million going to first place. This is the highest single bonus payout in all of sports.

In 2013, Henrik Stenson placed his second shot perfectly on the green from a fairway bunker on the 17th hole in the final round at East Lake to claim victory of the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup.