It seems like only yesterday when the creature came into the world, in 2007, but the Fedex Cup play offs will be celebrating their eighteenth edition this year. They have come of age. It will happen from this week, from this Thursday, with the dispute of the first one, the Fedex St. Jude Championship.
– To date, since that premiere in 2007, 63 Fedex Cup play off tournaments have been played, as it should be remembered that during the first twelve seasons (2007-2018) four play offs were played, instead of the three that have been played since then (from 2019 onwards).
– As can be assumed, given the high level of the tournaments, victory is very expensive. In these 63 tournaments only 37 different winners have been given. Of all of them, only eleven have won two: Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas, Henrik Stenson, Billy Horschel, Jason Day, Patrick Reed, Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland.
– And only four players have won more than two: Patrick Cantlay (3), Tiger Woods (4), Dustin Johnson (6), Rory McIlroy (6). What a club. As you can see, D. J. and Rory hold the record, although the Northern Irishman could this very year, who knows, break the tie.
– As is well known, only two players have won the Fedex Cup more than once: Tiger Woods (2) and Rory McIlroy (3), who in this section does dominate alone.
– Let’s go with the money, the dough, the millions that fall in cascade. That bonus of ten million dollars to the winner of the Fedex Cup, which is decided in these play offs, caused a real shock in the sports world in its day, in 2007. But precisely in this year 2024 a new bonus of 25 million for the winner is premiered, fifteen million more than that figure and seven more than what the winner of last year, Viktor Hovland (18 million), took. It is not necessary to point out that the appearance of LIV Golf, its millionaire competition, turned everything upside down in this sense…
– This year, by the way, the second classified will take a bonus of 12.5 million. And the third, one of 7.5 million. A very juicy podium.
– To date, the player who has won the most in terms of bonus in these 17 seasons we have been playing play offs is of course Rory McIlroy, who has pocketed, just in bonus, more than 54 million dollars. He is followed by Tiger, with 28.59 million.
– There is a certain Scottie Scheffler who to date has added up in bonus 10.7 million dollars, but if he dares to win this year’s Fedex Cup the boy will go to 35 million, again monopolising the top spots, also in this ranking.
– Scheffler arrives at this first play off with a lead of almost two thousand points over the next (1,936), which is Xander Schauffele. As the victory in the first two play offs is priced at 2,000 points, it is clear that Scheffler’s cushion is more than interesting. However, the Texan would do well not to trust everything to his overwhelming advantage, as the play offs are very treacherous in this sense.
– Keep a close eye on the victorious doubles. We are referring to a curious event that has been repeated on many occasions in the history of the play offs, and that is that the same player wins two in the same season. In the 17 seasons already consumed it has happened on twelve occasions, a real barbarity. Tiger won two in 2007, Vijay and Villegas won two each in 2008, Rory in 2012, Stenson in 2013, Horschel in 2014, Jason Day in 2015, Rory again in 2016, DeChambeau in 2018, Dustin Johnson in 2020, Cantlay in 2021 and Hovland in 2023, last year.
– Let’s remember that since 2019 only the first two play offs distribute points (Fedex St. Jude and BMW). The winner takes 2,000 points, as has been said; the second in solitary would add 1,200 and the third 760, for example. Afterwards, in the Tour Championship, where only the top thirty arrive, the first in the ranking starts on the first day with -10, the second with -8, the third with -7, the fourth with -6, the fifth with -5… Only the last five, from 26th to 30th, start the tournament at PAR.
– The debate will open again. Let’s take it to the extreme and imagine, for example, that Scheffler won the first two play offs. They would be two victories to add to the other six he already treasures this season, not counting the Games, which do not count in the Fedex Cup. Well, those eight victories would only give him a two-stroke advantage over the second in the final event in Atlanta, which could well be Xander Schauffele, of course. It wouldn’t be very fair. But it’s more fun, what can you do. Anyway, let’s also remember that Scheffler has just won a bonus of eight million dollars for finishing first in the ranking once this past Sunday’s regular calendar ended. The bonuses, let’s not miss them.
