How the FedEx Cup Playoffs work: Format, stakes, $100 mil pot

Back in January, it seemed improbable that Scottie Scheffler could come close to matching his seven-win season in 2024 that led to the Texan capturing his first FedEx Cup title. So much for that thought. Though Scheffler would have to win all three FedEx Cup Playoffs events over the next month to match seven, the World No. 1 is still stomping on the necks of competitors with a flurry not seen since the prime of Tiger Woods.

With this week’s Wyndham Championship marking the conclusion of the PGA Tour’s regular season, Scheffler is standing on four wins in 2025, including two major titles secured by a combined nine strokes—the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow and Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl.

Scheffler will head into the FedEx Cup Playoffs with a wide lead in points over No. 2 Rory McIlroy, but in changes the tour announced in May, the points will matter most coming out of the Wyndham and first two playoff events—the FedEx St. Jude Championship and BMW Championship. When the final 30 get to East Lake for the Tour Championship, the slate is clean and the final 72 holes—with no staggered start—will decide the FedEx Cup champion.

As the playoffs near, it’s worth answering questions about how they’ll play out.

When are the FedEx Cup Playoffs played?

Here is the three-tournament schedule:

FedEx St. Jude Championship, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Aug. 7-10

BMW Championship, Caves Valley Golf Cluv, Owings Mills, Md., Aug. 14-17

Tour Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Aug. 21-24

How many golfers will play in each of the three events?

The top 70 players off the FedEx Cup eligibility points list will be in the field at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The top 50 after St. Jude move on to the BMW Championship. The top 30 after Caves Valley reach the Tour Championship.

How is the FedEx Cup winner decided?

As noted previously, the playoffs and their payouts were changed for this season. There is no more staggered start for the Tour Championship, with everyone starting at even and playing a 72-hole stroke-play tournament. The winner at East Lake will be the FedEx Cup champion and earns a $10 million bonus and five-year tour exemption.

Are the payouts different for this year’s playoffs?

Yes. Instead of the results from the Tour Championship determining how much players get from the $100 million overall FedEx Cup prize fund—with the winner previously taking home $25 million—the tour is now giving out portions based on the FedEx Cup points standings after the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship (the final event of the regular season) and after the BMW Championship.

The top 10 after the Wyndham will split $20 million, with the person in first place getting $10 million. The top 30 after the BMW will share nearly $23 million, with the No. 1 player heading into the Tour Championship earning $5 million.

The remaining FedEx Cup prize money ($57.08 million) will then be doled out based on player finishes at East Lake (like every other PGA Tour event), with the winner earning $10 million.

As noted recently by the Associated Press, a prime example of how the changes could affect the payouts is Jon Rahm’s late season of 2023. Rahm was No. 1 in the standings at the end of the Wyndham, No. 4 after the BMW and played poorly in the Tour Championship; his bonus for that now would be $12.2 million. In ’23, those same positions got him a bonus of $670,000.

Meantime, if a player is No. 1 in FedEx Cup points after the Wyndham and BMW, and wins the Tour Championship, he’d earn $25 million (plus another $8 million for being the winner of the Comcast Business top 10 at the end of the regular season).

Are there payouts for those who don’t make the Tour Championship?

Yes, after the season ends at the Tour Championship, players who finished 31st through 150th in the points standings will earn a share $17 million of bonus money that will be paid out as deferred compensation into their retirement fund.

Who are the leaders for the start of the playoffs?

Heading into this week’s final event of the regular season, the Wyndham Championship, Scottie Scheffler held the top spot by a wide margin at 4,806 points—1,362 ahead of No. 2 Rory McIlroy. Rounding out the top five: 3. Sepp Straka (2,595), 4. Russell Henley (2,391) and Justin Thomas (2,280). No one in the top five is playing in the Wyndham.

Click here for a complete list of the rankings.

Who is the defending FedEx Cup champion?

Scottie Scheffler, of course. The World No. 1 had a two- to 10-shot lead for the staggered start at East Lake, shot 20 under par and won the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup (his first) by four shots over Collin Morikawa. The win capped a doozy of a season, with Scheffler winning seven times to be the first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to have that many titles. His victories included the Masters and Players Championship.

Who has won the most FedEx Cups?

Rory McIlroy, with three—the last coming in 2022. Tiger Woods is the only other golfer with more than one, winning the inaugural FedEx Cup Playoffs in 2007 and again in 2009.