'150 Billion Won Money War' FedEx Cup... "What Has Changed?"

FedEx St. Jude Championship Round 1 on the 10th
Field narrowed from 125 to 70 → 50 → 30
$5M+ for Rounds 1-2, Final prize over $97.8B+

‘War of Money’.

The PGA Tour, having concluded the regular season, is entering the FedEx Cup Playoffs (PO). Starting on the 10th (local time) at TPC Southwind (par 70) near Memphis, Tennessee, the PO first event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship, will kick off, followed by the second event, the BMW Championship (August 17-20), and the final third event, the Tour Championship (August 24-27).

The FedEx Cup PO is a tournament where the top-performing players of the season gather. It attracts as much attention as regular season tournaments due to its massive prize money. This year promises to be even more intense as the number of players has been reduced. Until last season, the top 125 players in the FedEx Cup rankings advanced to the first PO event, but this year only exactly 70 players will participate.

Rory McIlroy collected his third FedEx Cup trophy last year, becoming the all-time leader in wins.

Starting in 2024, the PGA Tour will change its season opening from the previous fall to every January. The ‘Fall Series,’ which begins in September, will be a competition for players who did not qualify for the PO or lost their tour cards to secure their spots for the next year. Only the top 50 in the FedEx Cup rankings can enter the BMW Championship, and only the top 30 can compete in the Tour Championship.

The PGA Tour has expanded the stakes this year. Due to the launch of LIV Golf, sponsored by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the total prize money has been increased. Last year, the total prize money for the FedEx Cup PO first and second events was $15 million each. This year, an additional $5 million has been added, making it a $20 million (approximately 26.1 billion KRW) tournament. The Tour Championship offered a bonus prize of $75 million (approximately 97.8 billion KRW) last year. Although the total prize money has not been finalized yet, it is expected to exceed that amount. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), the ‘symbol of the PGA,’ won the FedEx Cup last year and took home $18 million (approximately 2.35 billion KRW).

The final event, the Tour Championship, has a different format. The first and second PO events are decided by 72-hole stroke play, similar to regular tournaments. However, unlike the regular season, the Tour Championship gives advantages to players with higher points. The first place starts with a 10-under par stroke advantage. Players ranked 2nd to 5th receive bonuses ranging from 5 to 8 under par according to their rank. Those ranked 6th to 10th get 4 under par, 11th to 15th get 3 under par, 16th to 20th get 2 under par, 21st to 25th get 1 under par, and 26th to 30th start at even par. The higher the rank, the more advantageous the format.

Since its inception in 2007, the FedEx Cup has produced true champions. The inaugural champion was the ‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods (USA). He played four PO events and earned a $10 million bonus. However, at that time, the winner was decided by cumulative points, so it was possible to become champion without winning the final event. Woods finished second in the final event but led in points to become the ultimate winner. Woods also held off Phil Mickelson’s (USA) challenge in 2009 by finishing second in the Tour Championship.

Kim Joo-hyung, the runner-up of The Open, is challenging to become the first Korean player to win the FedEx Cup this year.

Aside from Woods, the FedEx Cup winners changed annually for a while until 2019, when a multiple winner emerged again. Rory McIlroy, known as the ‘post-Tiger Woods,’ was the protagonist. McIlroy won two consecutive PO events in 2012 but finished second overall, feeling regret. However, four years later in 2016, he finally won his first FedEx Cup. In 2019, starting from 5th in the FedEx Cup rankings, he staged a dramatic comeback to become the ultimate winner.

McIlroy made new history in last year’s FedEx Cup. He became the first player ever to win three FedEx Cup titles. Notably, McIlroy started the tournament ranked 7th with only a 4-under par advantage and overcame setbacks including a triple bogey on the first hole (par 4) and a bogey on the second hole (par 3) in the first round to create a comeback drama. Before the final fourth round, he was six strokes behind Scottie Scheffler (USA), making victory seem unlikely, but he succeeded in overturning the deficit with a streak of three consecutive birdies from holes 5 to 7. This year, McIlroy is ranked 3rd in the FedEx Cup standings, with Jon Rahm (Spain) at 1st and Scheffler at 2nd.

South Korea has four players competing in this year’s FedEx Cup rankings: Kim Joo-hyung, Kim Si-woo, Im Sung-jae, and An Byeong-hun. Expectations are high for strong performances from Kim Joo-hyung and Kim Si-woo. The best FedEx Cup result for South Korea is runner-up. Last year, Im Sung-jae participated in the Tour Championship for the fourth consecutive year and finished tied for second, just one stroke behind. He broke the previous best Asian FedEx Cup finish of 5th place set by ‘Tank’ K.J. Choi in 2007. Im Sung-jae also received a bonus of $5.75 million (approximately 750 million KRW).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.