The PGA Tour revealed on Wednesday how the distribution of the prize money for the FedEx Cup will be carried out. Firstly, a few weeks ago, changes to the format were announced, and now it has been explained how the winnings will be allocated. The system, at first glance, is much fairer and more balanced.
As you know, this season the players will not start the Tour Championship with pre-assigned strokes, as was the case in recent years. Remember that the top 30 in the FedEx would start the final at East Lake from -10 to PAR according to their ranking before this tournament. Whoever won the Tour Championship was declared the FedEx Cup champion and took home no less than 25 million dollars. The strokes awarded were a way to reward consistency throughout the year.
From this year, there will be no pre-assigned strokes. Each player will start the FedEx Cup Final at par, as in any other tournament. However, the final winner of the Tour Championship will still be declared the FedEx champion. So, is there no point in being the best throughout the year and doing well in the playoffs if you then have a bad week at East Lake? Yes, there is. The PGA Tour has tried to compensate for this with the distribution of the 100 million that the FedEx Cup disburses.
Thus, the first in the ranking after the Wyndham Championship, the last regular tournament of the season, will receive 10 million dollars. At that point, a total of 20 million of the 100 from the total purse will be distributed among the best. Shortly after, when the BMW Championship ends, just before the Final, a new distribution will take place. In this case, 23 million dollars will be allocated. The first in the ranking will pocket five. Finally, at the end of the Tour Championship, 57 million dollars will be distributed, with another 10 awarded to the winner.
Therefore, the one who is first after the Wyndham, after the BMW, and wins the Tour Championship will receive 25 million dollars, the same amount that the FedEx Cup winner used to earn. It is a fairer distribution. A little less than half of the total purse will reward consistency, while a little more than half will reward those who perform best in the Tour Championship, ensuring that the grand final remains quite exciting from that point of view.
The example of Jon Rahm is one of the best to understand how this money distribution changes. It was shared on social media by the prestigious Associated Press journalist, Doug Ferguson. Rahm had an outstanding season in 2023. He was first in the ranking after the Wyndham, fourth after the BMW Championship, and had a poor FedEx Cup final. Of the 100 million distributed, the player from Barrika pocketed only 670,000 dollars, the amount corresponding to his final position in the Tour Championship. With the distribution that will take place this year, Jon would have pocketed a total of 12.2 million dollars.
By the way, these 100 million from the FedEx Cup are separate from the Comcast Business Top 10, the bonus awarded to the top 10 of the FedEx at the end of the regular season, which amounts to an extra eight million for the Number One. Thus, the player who finishes first in the regular PGA Tour season will receive a total of 18 million dollars, undoubtedly a great recognition for the most consistent golfer.
