Golf
PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs: Where All 30 Players Will Start the 2021 Tour Championship, How $60 Million Bonus Pot Will Be Divided
Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sportscasting. Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes. In addition to his work here at Sportscasting, Luke's work has appeared on The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated.
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As if the 2020-21 PGA Tour “super season” hadn’t provided enough excitement over the last 12 months, the BMW Championship provided arguably the most scintillating finish of the season as Patrick Cantlay outdueled Bryson DeChambeau in a sudden-death playoff to win the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. With the victory, Cantlay vaulted into the top spot of the FedEx Cup standings and will enter the season-ending, staggered-stroke Tour Championship with a two-shot advantage.
Patrick Cantlay vaulted to the top of the FedEx Cup standings with a dramatic win at the BMW Championship
For those who didn’t watch what Cantlay did on Sunday at Caves Valley Golf Club, you certainly missed out. On the 25th anniversary of Tiger Woods‘ professional debut on the PGA Tour, Cantlay delivered a Tiger-esque performance, especially with his putter.
Playing alongside DeChambeau in the final group, Cantlay likely figured his chance to win the BMW was gone when, already down a stroke, he splashed his tee shot at the par-3 17th and made bogey. But Bryson, only needing a par to take a two-shot lead into the 72nd hole, made a bogey himself. Cantlay then drained a 22-foot birdie putt on the 18th as DeChambeau made par, forcing a sudden-death playoff to decide who would take the lead in the FedEx Cup standings.
Cantlay nearly won the tournament on the first extra hole by holing a delicate chip for birdie, but it just missed, leaving him a little tester for par, which, of course, he nailed. Throughout the playoff, while DeChambeau was emotionally all over the place, Cantlay remained stoic and stayed within himself. When Bryson stuck his tee shot on the fifth extra hole to all but guarantee himself a birdie, Cantlay stepped up and hit his ball even closer.
And on the sixth extra hole, Cantlay calmly drilled an 18-foot birdie putt and then watched as DeChambeau’s effort slid by yet again. It was Cantlay’s third victory of the season, his second in a playoff, and he now sits atop the FedEx Cup standings heading into the Tour Championship at East Lake.
How all 30 players will start the staggered-stroke Tour Championship
Cantlay, as the leader in the FedEx Cup standings, will start the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta at 10-under, two strokes better than Tony Finau, who won last week’s Northern Trust and will begin the week at 8-under. DeChambeau will start in third at 7-under. Jon Rahm will start in fourth at 6-under. And Cameron Smith will start the week in fifth at 6-under.
Here’s how all 30 players will begin the Tour Championship:
- Patrick Cantlay: -10
- Tony Finau: -8
- Bryson DeChambeau: -7
- Jon Rahm: -6
- Cameron Smith: -5
- Justin Thomas: -4
- Harris English: -4
- Abraham Ancer: -4
- Jordan Spieth: -4
- Sam Burns: -4
- Collin Morikawa: -3
- Sungjae Im: -3
- Viktor Hovland: -3
- Louis Oosthuizen: -3
- Dustin Johnson: -3
- Rory McIlroy: -2
- Xander Schauffele: -2
- Jason Kokrak: -2
- Kevin Na: -2
- Brooks Koepka: -2
- Corey Conners: -1
- Hideki Matsuyama: -1
- Stewart Cink: -1
- Joaquin Niemann: -1
- Scottie Scheffler: -1
- Daniel Berger: E
- Erik van Rooyen: E
- Sergio Garcia: E
- Billy Horschel: E
- Patrick Reed: E
How the FedEx Cup bonus money will be distributed after the Tour Championship
The 30 players at the Tour Championship will be vying for an incredible $60 million in bonus money, with the first-place finisher taking in $15 million. The 30th-place finisher takes home $395,000, and that will likely be Patrick Reed, who made the Tour Championship field despite not playing in either of the first two FedEx Cup playoff events.
Reed was recently hospitalized with double pneumonia, and while he has been released and is back at his home in Houston, it’s not likely he tees it up at East Lake this Thursday. And his spot will not be given to another player.
Here’s how the FedEx Cup bonus cash breaks down:
- $15,000,000
- $5,000,000
- $4,000,000
- $3,000,000
- $2,500,000
- $1,900,000
- $1,300,000
- $1,100,000
- $950,000
- $830,000
- $750,000
- $705,000
- $660,000
- $620,000
- $595,000
- $570,000
- $550,000
- $535,000
- $520,000
- $505,000
- $490,000
- $478,000
- $466,000
- $456,000
- $445,000
- $435,000
- $425,000
- $415,000
- $405,000
- $395,000
Stats courtesy of PGATour.com
