The FedExCup Playoffs first took place in 2007. Despite leading by nearly 800 points, Scottie Scheffler faces a three‑week gauntlet to claim the FedExCup. So, does that mean Scheffler will win the FedExCup title when the playoffs are over? Well, not really. That’s where the Tour Championship becomes essential. If this sounds complicated, here’s a breakdown of how this system works.

First of all, there are three tournaments considered part of the playoffs.

• FedEx St. Jude Championship: August 13-16
• BMW Championship: August 20-23
• Tour Championship: August 27-30

The playoffs begin this week with the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, but the race begins at the start of the season.

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The system that works behind the FedExCup playoffs

Players earn points based on finishes from the Sony Open through the Wyndham Championship. The 70 players with the highest totals advance to Memphis.

Here are the 70 players who made it to this week:

But, of course, that does not mean all these players are safe.

Take Jordan Spieth (54th). He’s the only pro to qualify without a single top‑10 finish. At Memphis, he needs a solo 23rd or better to reach the BMW Championship. If not, he’s out.

Cuts are progressive: 70 → 50 → 30. No alternates. Winners of the first two playoff events earn 750 points.

Why does this matter? Points determine advancement and exemptions. The top 70 after Wyndham lock top‑100 status, gain entry to full‑field events, and The PLAYERS. Even if eliminated after Memphis, points carry into the FedExCup Fall and can secure spots in 2027 Signature Events via the Aon Next 10.

Are there safe players in the field? There sure are. Scheffler (1st) is one. Si Woo Kim (7th) is another. In fact, as per the PGA Tour, he is the highest-ranked player in the standings without a single PGA Tour win this season. But he did have 10 top-10 finishes this season, including two runner-up finishes.

With St. Jude complete, attention shifts to the bubble: 40 players fighting for 50 spots at BMW.

The next big stage of the FedExCup playoffs

Following this week’s St. Jude Championship, the top 50 players in the FedExCup standings will proceed to next week’s BMW Championship. As of now, there are multiple players in the bubble.

These players include: Jake Knapp (40th), Nico Echavarria (41st), Maverick McNealy (50th), Harris English (51st), Sungjae Im (53rd), among a bunch of many others. Among the players in this margin, only Daniel Berger (60th) is not playing this week. He will likely miss out on next week’s BMW Championship.

So, what are the perks here? Aside from the winner earning 750 points, those who do make it to the week get guaranteed play in all of the signature events of the following season. But we haven’t yet arrived at the question: who wins the FedExCup title, if not Scheffler?

Well, as mentioned earlier, that’s where the Tour Championship comes.

The core strategy behind the Tour Championship

In 2025, the PGA Tour decided to do away with the staggered stroke start. That means now each of the 30 players who reached the last stage of the playoff, the Tour Championship, start at even par for a 72-hole stroke play tournament. That means the player who ranks 30th in the field after the BMW Championship will have an equal opportunity to Scheffler.

Finally, the player who wins the Tour Championship is considered the FedExCup champion. If you remember, this is where Tommy Fleetwood won his first PGA Tour title last season.

So, what about the perks of making it this far? If, for instance, Jake Knapp makes it here, he will get a two-year PGA Tour exemption, an invitation to the Masters, the U.S. Open, and The Open. Meanwhile, the FedExCup champion will earn a five-year exemption on the Tour and $10M in prize money.

What about the other players?

The breakdown of the purse in FedExCup playoffs

The PGA Tour distributes the money from a $100M FedExCup pool based on the FedExCup standings following the Wyndham Championship and the BMW Championship.

The top 10 after the Wyndham Championship will divide $20 million, with the leader receiving $10 million. After the BMW Championship, the top 30 players will share nearly $23 million, including $5 million for the player ranked first heading into the Tour Championship. Meanwhile, once the playoffs end, the players ranked 31 through 150 will receive a portion of $17 million from the purse.

But the leaderboards have shifted before, and we might have another surprise champion this season. It all depends on how the next three weeks play out.