The $100 million FedEx Cup payouts are changing significantly. Here’s how

Less than two months before the end of the season, the PGA Tour has significantly altered the FedEx Cup payout structure. The move centers on ditching the single, year-end bonus paid after the Tour Championship and instituting a staggered system across three key points in the season. That’s right, starting strokes are gone. The five-year system that gave FedEx Cup leaders a multi-stroke advantage in the final event is no more. 

Here’s what you should know about the changes.

The money hasn’t changed

The total bonus pool remains at $100 million, so it’s not like anyone is getting paid any less. They’ll just be getting paid at different times. The top performers will have to continue earning their keep throughout the playoffs, but will also be handsomely rewarded for regular season performance, too.

Regular season matters most

A total of $20 million will be split among the top 10 players in the FedEx Cup at the conclusion of the regular season. With about a month to play, that top 10 is currently:

Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Sepp Straka, Russell Henley, Justin Thomas, Ben Griffin, JJ Spaun, Keegan Bradley, Harris English and Tommy Fleetwood. 

The top finisher through the regular season will earn $10 million, with second place earning $4 million, all the way down to 10th place earning a $500,000 bonus.

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It pays to reach East Lake

An additional $22.925 million will be paid out following the second playoff event — the BMW Championship, played this year at Caves Valley in Maryland — with the top-ranked player at that point earning $5 million. Only the players advancing to the Tour Championship (Top 30 in the FedEx Cup) will earn bonuses, ranging down to $195,000 for 30th. 

Tour Championship free-for-all 

Compared to recent seasons, where the majority of the $100 million pool was still up for grabs at the Tour Championship — and the top finisher would take home a whopping $25 million — the winner at East Lake will earn $10 million for that week. 

Essentially, the Tour Championship now operates with a $40 million purse, with second place taking home $5 million, third place $3.7 million, down to $355,000 for 30th. The payout amounts for players advancing to the Tour Championship are as follows:

1. $10,000,000
2. $5,000,000
3. $3,700,000
4. $3,200,000
5. $2,750,000
6. $1,900,000
7. $1,400,000
8. $1,070,000
9. $900,000
10. $735,000
11. $695,000
12. $660,000
13. $625,000
14. $590,000
15. $560,000
16. $505,000
17. $490,000
18. $475,000
19. $460,000
20. $445,000
21. $430,000
22. $415,000
23. $400,000
24. $390,000
25. $380,000
26. $375,000
27. $370,000
28. $365,000
29. $360,000
30. $355,000

But wait! There’s more

Don’t forget the Comcast Top 10, an extra $40 million bonus pool that was created in 2021. It’s still a thing! That pool is also dished out to the top 10 in the FedEx Cup at the end of the regular season, following the Wyndham Championship. 

In that pool, the top-ranked player takes home $8 million, with 10th earning $2 million, another reason why playing well during the regular season is extremely beneficial come August. And fear not, the players who finish outside the top 30 but still retain their Tour card will receive payouts from the remaining $17.08 million in the bonus pool. 

Make it all make sense!

Let’s take Scottie Scheffler’s 2024 season, where he grossed $62.2 million in on-course earnings and season-ending bonuses. What would that season have looked like given the new structure? 

Scheffler would have made about $7 million less, due to the payout changes at the Tour Championship. Thanks to starting strokes, his finish at the end of the season netted him first place in the FedEx Cup despite Collin Morikawa actually taking fewer strokes in the four-round tournament played at East Lake. In other words, the Tour Championship is now going to pay out in a more equitable way given how players play during that specific week.