How do the FedEx Cup Playoffs work? Here’s a quick explainer

The PGA Tour regular season is officially complete and we are on to the post season. In the world of golf, that means the FedEx Cup Playoffs are set to begin. But how exactly do these playoffs work?

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 FedEx Cup Playoffs.

2022 FedEx Cup Playoffs schedule

The FedEx Cup Playoffs consist of three tournaments played in the month of August: the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the BMW Championship, and the Tour Championship. The full schedule is listed below.

FedEx St. Jude Championship – Aug. 11-14
BMW Championship – Aug. 18-21
Tour Championship – Aug. 25-28

2022 FedEx Cup Playoffs format

The FedEx Cup Playoffs format has changed over the years, but the system this year is the same as it has been since 2019.

Throughout the regular season, players are awarded points for their performance in each tournament, with 500 points going to the winner in regular-season events, and 600 points going to the winner in majors plus the Players Championship.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the top 125 players in the FedEx Cup standings qualify for the first playoff event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The top 70 in the standings after the FedEx St. Jude Championship qualify for next week’s BMW Championship.

FedEx Cup points awarded at the FedEx St. Jude and BMW are far higher than regular-season events, with the winner receiving 2000 points. In this way, performance in the playoffs is weighted more heavily than in regular-season events.

Once the BMW Championship is complete, the top 30 in the standings move on to the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

How the Tour Championship works

The Tour Championship is unlike any other tournament on the PGA Tour. Instead of everyone starting at even par when the tournament begins, players are given “starting strokes” based on their place in the FedEx Cup standings. The Tour Championship “starting strokes” are listed below.

No. 1 – 10 under
No. 2 – 8 under
No. 3 – 7 under
No. 4 – 6 under
No. 5 – 5 under
Nos. 6-10 – 4 under
Nos. 11-15 – 3 under
Nos. 16-20 – 2 under
Nos. 21-25 – 1 under
Nos. 26-30 – Even par

Once play begins under this structure, whoever finishes the Tour Championship with the lowest score to par is crowned the FedEx Cup champion.

2022 FedEx Cup Playoffs money

There’s a whole lot of money up for grabs during the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The total amount the PGA Tour will dole out at the conclusion of the Tour Championship is $75 million, with a whopping $18 million going to the winner.

The entire payout structure is listed below.

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF.com, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf.