OVERVIEW
The PGA TOUR entered a new era in 2007 with the introduction of the FedExCup, a season-long points competition offering $35 million in bonus money and culminating with the PGA TOUR’s first-ever Playoff system. The four Playoffs events offer $32 million in prize money, meaning a total of $67 million is on the line over the four weeks of FedExCup Playoff competition.
Over the span of 46 events, players vie to become the FedExCup Champion, which distinguishes the one player who not only performs well during the 43-tournament PGA TOUR Season, but also excels through the pressure of the four-event FedExCup Playoffs. Tiger Woods won the inaugural FedExCup in 2007 and its $10-million top prize and won again in 2009. Others to hoist the FedExCup trophy include Vijay Singh (2008), Jim Furyk (2010), Bill Haas (2011), Brandt Snedeker (2012), Henrik Stenson (2013), Billy Horschel (2014), Jordan Spieth (2015), and Rory McIlroy (2016).
During the PGA TOUR Season, TOUR members earn points based on their results, with a strong emphasis placed on winning and high finishes. Once the PGA TOUR Season concludes, the top-125 players advance to the FedExCup Playoffs, a series of four $8-million tournaments offering quadruple points relative to PGA TOUR Season events.
The Playoffs feature a progressive cut, beginning with THE NORTHERN TRUST in the New York area (125 players), continuing with the Dell Technologies Championship in Boston (100 players) and the BMW Championship outside of Chicago (70 players). A reseed takes place, seeding the top-30 players for the culminating TOUR Championship in Atlanta, where the FedExCup Champion is crowned.
PGA TOUR SEASON
The PGA TOUR’s 2016-2017 FedExCup competition runs from the 2016 Safeway Open through the 2017 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro and concludes with the 2016-2017 FedExCup Playoffs. Points are awarded at four levels:
• Official PGA TOUR events each award 500 FedExCup points to first place.
• The Masters Tournament, THE PLAYERS Championship, U.S. Open Championship, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship will award 600 FedExCup points to first place.
• Each of the four World Golf Championships events will award 550 FedExCup points to first place.
• Additional events played during the FedExCup competition (those played the same week as a Major or World Golf Championships) will award 300 FedExCup points to first place.
The PGA TOUR Season points standings will carry over to the FedExCup Playoffs.
Limited field events during the FedExCup competition will not redistribute the points for places that do not play. Those points are not awarded to the field and the total points distributed will be slightly less than the total points as defined above. For example, if the 2017 Hyundai Tournament of Champions has a field of 30 players, the points awarded will be based on the points that would be awarded to each individual position in a full-field event from positions 1 to 30. This will result in the points that would have otherwise been awarded from positions 31-70 in a regular event not being awarded in the tournament.
Another example is the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play, a 64-player field. In this limited-field event, points for positions 65 and beyond would not be awarded.
FEDEXCUP PLAYOFFS
At the conclusion of the season, the top 125 players in points plus ties will be eligible to play in the FedExCup Playoffs. At that point, each player will carry all points earned through the FedExCup competition through the first three playoff events. The first three events of the FedExCup Playoffs will award 2,000 points to the player finishing first with remaining points distributed as shown below.
The top 125 players from the FedExCup competition, after the Wyndham Championship, will be eligible to play in the first playoff event. In the event that one of those players is unable or chooses not to play, the field will be shortened and no alternates will be added.
The FedExCup Playoffs will feature a progressive cut through the first three events to determine the final 30 players who qualify for the TOUR Championship. THE NORTHERN TRUST opens the FedExCup Playoffs with 125 players and ties, followed by the Deutsche Bank Championship with 100 players and ties and the BMW Championship with 70 players and ties.
The top 30 players earning points through the BMW Championship will be eligible to play in the TOUR Championship. In the event any of the 30 eligible players is unable or chooses not to play in the TOUR Championship, alternates will not be added to fill the field. Points from the missing positions will not be awarded.
Note: In case of ties, reseed points will be distributed between the tying positions using the same methods for dealing with ties during events -- the total points for each of the tying positions are divided equally among all players in the tying position. In the event that a player who qualifies for a Playoff event chooses not to play in that event, there will be no alternates, and the field will be shortened. FedExCup points are subject to change.