The PGA Tour regular golf season is over, and the race to crown the 2026 FedEx Cup champion is underway.
The three-event FedEx Cup playoffs begin with 70 players at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, then drop to 50 for the BMW Championship, and finally to 30 for the TOUR Championship.
Under the current TOUR Championship format, all 30 golfers begin the finale on equal footing, with the tournament winner also becoming the FedEx Cup champion.
The stakes are significant. The 2026 champion will receive $10 million, while every golfer who reaches the TOUR Championship is guaranteed at least $355,000.
How the 2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs Format Works
Players earned FedEx Cup points throughout the regular season based on their finishes in PGA Tour events. The top 70 qualified for the opening playoff tournament, the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
The first two playoff events are no-cut tournaments, but the FedEx Cup standings determine who advances.
Following the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the field shrinks from 70 to the top 50 in the points standings for the BMW Championship. After the BMW, only the top 30 advance to the TOUR Championship.
Points remain available during the first two playoff events. Winners of the FedEx St. Jude Championship and BMW Championship receive 750 points, the same number awarded for winning a major championship in 2026. Signature Event winners receive 700 points, while standard full-field events award 500 to the winner.
Once the final 30 reach East Lake, however, the points race no longer determines the champion. The golfer who wins the TOUR Championship wins the FedEx Cup.
Tommy Fleetwood showed how much that can change the championship race in 2025. Fleetwood entered the TOUR Championship without a PGA Tour victory that season but won at East Lake to claim the FedEx Cup.
Scottie Scheffler Leads Notable Names in 2026 FedEx Cup Standings
Scottie Scheffler enters the FedEx Cup playoffs in the No. 1 position with 4,123 points. Matt Fitzpatrick ranks second with 3,329 points. Cameron Young sits third with 3,161 points, followed by Wyndham Clark at No. 4 and Chris Gotterup at No. 5.
Several of the PGA Tour’s biggest names are also comfortably inside the top 30 heading into the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Collin Morikawa enters at No. 6, while defending FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood is ninth. Ludvig Aberg rounds out the top 10.
Xander Schauffele enters the playoffs at No. 11, followed immediately by Rory McIlroy at No. 12. Hideki Matsuyama sits at No. 20, Viktor Hovland is No. 23 and Justin Rose is No. 24.
Rickie Fowler and Adam Scott are among the notable names closer to the current TOUR Championship cutoff. Fowler begins the playoffs at No. 28 with 1,231 points, while Scott sits at No. 29 with 1,218 points.
The standings will continue to change during the first two playoff events.
FedEx Cup Playoffs Schedule Features Stops in Memphis, St. Louis & Atlanta
The FedEx Cup playoffs begin Aug. 13 at TPC Southwind.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship runs Aug. 13-16 in Memphis and starts with the top 70 eligible players. TPC Southwind has hosted a PGA Tour event for decades and became part of the FedEx Cup playoffs in 2019.
The BMW Championship follows Aug. 18-23 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. Only the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings advance to the second playoff tournament.
The season concludes Aug. 27-30 with the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The field will feature the top 30 players remaining after the BMW Championship.
TOUR Championship Winner Will Take Home $10 Million
Reaching East Lake comes with a significant financial reward.
The FedEx Cup champion will receive $10 million, while the runner-up takes home $5 million. Third place is worth $3.75 million, and fourth receives $3.15 million.
The payouts remain substantial throughout the field. Fifth place receives $2.55 million, sixth gets $2 million and seventh earns $1.45 million. The final golfer in the 30-player field still receives $355,000.
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