With a first-place prize of $15-million, a shortened schedule that ends in August, and a revamped Tour Championship are among the changes to golf’s playoffs this year.
The Northern Trust will kick off golf’s playoffs this week at Liberty National in New Jersey. This year’s FedExCup will be different than past years, with the PGA Tour tinkering with the structure more than a decade after it launched. This year sees the playoff cut from four tournaments to three, with significant changes to the final tournament. The whole event will be wrapped up by the start of September.
Here’s you need to know about the FedExCup in 2019:
How It Works
During the season players accrue points based on their performance. Once the season ends, the Top 125 advance to the playoffs. Over three weeks of competition, there is a progressive set of cuts each week (from 125 to 70 to 30) that culminates in the TOUR Championship in Atlanta where the FedExCup Champion is crowned.
Tour Championship alterations
This is one of the areas with the biggest change in the playoff. The top-seeded player entering the finale will start the tournament at 10-under par, with the next four at 8-under through 5-under respectively, with the final players in the field –No. 26 through 30—starting at even par. The goal is to avoid the confusion of past finals, where it was unclear who would win the FedExCup unless you were an actuary. You may recall last year Tiger Woods won the TOUR Championship, his first win since 2013, but Justin Rose won the FedExCup, and the healthy money bonus that went along with it.
New prize money
The PGA Tour also added a $10-million bonus based on regular season performance heading into the FedExCup. As the top player heading into the playoff, Brooks Koepka will earn a $2-million bonus. Moreover, the overall FedExCup pool increases to $60-million, with the winner taking home $15-million, up from $10-million previously.
Current standings
Brooks Koepka leads the FedExCup standings, followed by Rory McIlroy and Matt Kuchar. The top Canadian is Corey Conners at 31. Fellow Canadians Adam Hadwin (46), Roger Sloan (91), Mackenzie Hughes (96), and Nick Taylor (117) will also be part of the playoffs.
