Tour Championship: The Golf Tournament with the Biggest Individual Prize
OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Tour Championship redefines the prizes in professional golf, now with the juiciest individual prize fund in history. The PGA Tour has decided that the FedEx Cup payout will count as official money for the first time, raising the total purse to $40 million, with $10 million going to the winner. Since the FedEx Cup was established in 2007, the bonus pool at the end of the Tour Championship was considered unofficial money, with a deferred portion. In 2019, when the postseason was reduced from four to three tournaments, the prize money from the Tour Championship was eliminated, and the FedEx Cup bonus pool was increased. With the introduction of “exit strokes” that same year, the number 1 seed began with 10 under par and a two-stroke lead over the number 2 seed. The winner of the final at East Lake took the FedEx Cup and was credited with a PGA Tour title for winning the Tour Championship. This year, significant changes have been made. Tee shots have been eliminated, and the top 30 players who reach the Tour Championship will start from scratch, as in a normal tournament. A PGA Tour spokesperson confirmed that the $40 million bonus pool will now be official money at East Lake. Another relevant change is the distribution of the $25 million for winning the FedEx Cup. Scottie Scheffler received $10 million for leading the FedEx Cup in the regular season, and will get $5 million for being the number 1 seed after this week’s BMW Championship. This is still part of the bonus pool and will not be official money. Now, the player with the lowest score wins the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup, the $40 million destined for the top 30 players will be official, with $10 million for the winner. Scheffler tops the money list with $20,362,883. Masters champion Rory McIlroy ($16,156,418), and US Open champion J.J. Spaun ($12,302,222), will have the mathematical possibility of surpassing Scheffler if they win at East Lake. The second place at East Lake will receive $5 million in official money, while the third place will get $3,705,000. The last place will take $355,000. The last time East Lake had an official prize was in 2018, with $9 million, and Tiger Woods won $1.62 million. Justin Rose won the FedEx Cup without winning a postseason event and obtained the $10 million bonus. Patrick Cantlay, among other players, expressed his satisfaction with the change in tee shots, arguing that winning the Tour Championship, even from the 30th position, remains an achievement worthy of the FedEx Cup championship.I think at this point, if you’ve played a whole year and you get to the Tour Championship with the players who have played, the top 30 who have played the best all year, and you beat them that week with everything on the line, that’s a great accomplishment.
Patrick Cantlay
…
