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The PGA Tour regular season has come and gone, which means its time to decide a season-long champion during the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Determining a single champion in golf is complicated, as it is not a sport built on season-long competitions like team sports. Therefore, the PGA Tour has waffled at times while trying to find the right formulas to crown one champion at the end of the season.
The tour has settled on the FedEx Cup playoffs in recent decades, with various paths to getting to the TOUR Championship. In some years, someone like Scottie Scheffler could dominate the season and get an advantage in the final tournament. However, by doing away with that idea, the PGA Tour has tried to create a more even playingfield in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Last year, Tommy Fleetwood capped off the season by winning the TOUR Championship even though he hadn't won a tournament prior on the tour. That shows that the playoffs title is up for grabs for anyone who has a strong stretch in August.
Here's a look at how the FedEx Cup playoffs works.
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How do the FedEx Cup playoffs work?
The FedEx Cup playoffs take place over the course of three tournaments, whittling down the competition to determine a champion for the season.
During the season, players collected points correlating to how they finished in tournaments, and the top 70 players earned a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Those 70 players are eligible to play in the first playoff event, the St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
The golfers in the St. Jude Championship will play in a no-cut event, racking up more points while trying to win the tournament. At the end of the tournament, the top 50 players will then move on to the BMW Championship, which is a similar no-cut event to determine the final 30 golfers.
Players are cut not based on the standings of each tournament, but instead based on how the standings shake out after both the St. Jude Championship and BMW Championship. Therefore, many golfers have essentially already clinched spots in one or both of the BMW Championship and the final event.
The TOUR Championship concludes the PGA Tour season with a simple premise: the winner takes home the title. Last year, Tommy Fleetwood won the season-long championship despite not winning a PGA Tour event all year long.
FedEx Cup points
From the start of the season, players earn points on the FedEx Cup standings depending on where they finish in each appearance. Each tournament differs in importance for the standings, with more points available in majors compared to standard tournaments on the schedule.
Additionally, FedEx Cup points are available in the first two playoff events, as 20 players get cut after both the St. Jude Championship and the BMW Championship. To put this into perspective, here's a breakdown of how many points the winners of each tournament this year received:
- Majors and first two FedEx Cup playoff events: 750 points
- Signature Events: 700 points
- Full-field events: 500 points
- Additional events: 300 points
As is the case with payouts, players who tie in events received the average of points in their finishing places.
However, the golfer at the No. 1 spot in the standings doesn't automatically win the FedEx Cup title. After going through variations of how to settle the final tournament, the PGA Tour is simply letting all remaining golfers begin the TOUR Championship on an even playing field, with the winner taking home the trophy.
MORE: Every FedEx Cup winner by year
FedEx Cup standings 2026
Here's a look at the top 30 players after St. Jude Championship:
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1. | Scottie Scheffler | 4,873 |
| 2. | Matt Fitzpatrick | 3,425 |
| 3. | Cameron Young | 3,182 |
| 4. | Si Woo Kim | 2,700 |
| 5. | Wyndham Clark | 2,542 |
| 6. | Sam Burns | 2,415 |
| 7. | Chris Gotterup | 2,287 |
| 8. | Tommy Fleetwood | 2,246 |
| 9. | Collin Morikawa | 2,241 |
| 10. | Ludvig Aberg | 2,129 |
| 11. | Xander Schauffele | 1,980 |
| 12. | Jacob Bridgeman | 1,761 |
| 13. | Rory McIlroy | 1,745 |
| 14. | Russell Henley | 1,740 |
| 15. | Akshay Bhatia | 1,729 |
| 16. | Hideki Matsuyama | 1,600 |
| 17. | Ryan Gerard | 1,539 |
| 18. | Min Woo Lee | 1,480 |
| 19. | Kristoffer Reitan | 1,473 |
| 20. | Alex Fitzpatrick | 1,415 |
| 21. | J.J. Spaun | 1,413 |
| 22. | Viktor Hovland | 1,396 |
| 23. | Alex Smalley | 1,374 |
| 24. | Justin Rose | 1,355 |
| 25. | Ryan Fox | 1,351 |
| 26. | Tom Kim | 1,341 |
| 27. | Adam Scott | 1,314 |
| 28. | Kurt Kitayama | 1,258 |
| 29. | Bud Cauley | 1,257 |
| 30. | Rickie Fowler | 1,257 |
MORE: Breaking down the career Grand Slams in golf
FedEx Cup playoffs schedule
FedEx St. Jude Championship
- Dates: August 13-16
- Course: TPC Southwind
- Location: Memphis, Tenn.
The FedEx Cup playoffs began at the St. Jude Championship in Memphis, as TPC Southwind hosted the event once again. This course has been a staple on the PGA Tour schedule over several decades, but became a FedEx Cup playoffs event in 2019.
The field included 70 eligible players and was won easily by Scottie Scheffler, who finished 17-under par.
BMW Championship
- Date: August 18-23
- Course: Bellerive Country Club
- Location: St. Louis, Mo.
While the BMW Championship is always a part of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the location differs each season, with the tournament heading to St. Louis in 2026. The club has hosted a U.S. Open, two PGA Championships, a U.S. Senior Open, a Senior PGA Championship and a U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship since 1965.
This marks the second time Bellerive hosts the BMW Championship, with the first coming back in 2008. It will be the sixth course to host the tournament multiple times in the FedEx Cup playoffs era.
TOUR Championship
- Date: August 27-30
- Course: East Lake Golf Club
- Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Every year, the FedEx Cup playoffs conclude at the TOUR Championship, which has been played at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta since 2004. Additionally, this course has hosted the final event on the schedule since 1987, making it a familiar spot for golfers aiming to win the season-long title.
FedEx Cup payouts 2026
Here's a look at the payout for the TOUR Championship in 2026:
| Finish | Payout |
| 1. | $10 million |
| 2. | $5 million |
| 3. | $3.75 million |
| 4. | $3.15 million |
| 5. | 2.55 million |
| 6. | $2 million |
| 7. | $1.45 million |
| 8. | $1.07 million |
| 9 | $900,000 |
| 10. | $745,000 |
| 11. | $700,000 |
| 12. | $660,000 |
| 13. | $625,000 |
| 14. | $590,000 |
| 15. | $560,000 |
| 16. | $530,000 |
| 17. | $500,000 |
| 18. | $475,000 |
| 19. | $460,000 |
| 20. | $445,000 |
| 21. | $430,000 |
| 22. | $415,000 |
| 23. | $400,000 |
| 24. | $390,000 |
| 25. | $380,000 |
| 26. | $375,000 |
| 27. | $370,000 |
| 28. | $365,000 |
| 29. | $360,000 |
| 30. | $355,000 |
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