The Format for Deciding the PGA Tour Season Champion in the FedEx Cup Playoffs: An Explanation
2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs Introduce Significant Changes
The 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs are set to feature a series of changes that will shake up the format compared to previous years. The playoffs, which will take place in August, will consist of three tournaments: the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the BMW Championship, and the Tour Championship.
The playoffs begin with the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings after the Wyndham Championship qualifying for the first event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The field will then be shortened to the top 50 players after the St. Jude tournament for the BMW Championship. Finally, the top 30 players after the BMW Championship will qualify for the Tour Championship.
Throughout the playoffs, players will continue accumulating FedEx Cup points, with quadruple points awarded in the first two events, providing a strong chance to move up the standings before the Tour Championship. This change will offer a more competitive and exciting playoff series.
One of the most significant changes is the elimination of the "starting strokes" system at the Tour Championship. For the first time since 2018, players will start the Tour Championship at even par with a pure, traditional 4-round stroke-play format to decide the FedEx Cup winner.
The total bonus pool has been changed to $100 million, with the champion receiving $10 million (down from $25 million in 2024), but with payouts spread more broadly among other top finishers. The winner of each tournament in the 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs will receive 2,000 points.
The FedEx St Jude Championship, the BMW Championship, and the Tour Championship remain the three tournaments in the FedEx Cup Playoffs in August. Points from the regular season carry over into the first two Playoff tournaments but reset ahead of the Tour Championship.
The top-30 golfers after the FedEx St Jude Championship and the top-30 after the BMW Championship qualify for the Tour Championship, with all players securing full status on the PGA Tour for 2025. The winner of each tournament in the 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs will receive 2,000 points.
As of now, Jon Rahm leads the FedEx Cup standings, with a 1,362-point gap over second place, Rory McIlroy, and a 2,211-point advantage over Sepp Straka in third. The 2025 FedEx Cup champion will earn $10 million, compared to $25 million won by Scheffler in 2024.
These changes mark the most dramatic shift to the FedEx Cup Playoffs format since its inception in 2007, emphasizing a straightforward stroke-play competition at the Tour Championship and altering the fields and points structure of the playoff events.
[1] FedEx Cup Playoffs Format Changes for 2025
[2] PGA Tour Announces 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs Format Changes
[3] 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs Format: What You Need to Know
[1] The 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs, including the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the BMW Championship, and the Tour Championship, will feature modifications, such as the elimination of starting strokes at the Tour Championship and a broader distribution of the $100 million bonus pool.
[2] Additional changes to the 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs include quadruple points at the first two events, providing a competitive edge for players to move up the standings and the awarding of 2,000 points to the winners of each event, like the golf tournament known as 'golf.'
[3] To add, the 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs will follow a more traditional stroke-play format at the Tour Championship, set to offer an exciting and highly competitive series for golf enthusiasts, who love to watch sports.
