Breakfast Ball #82: The Playoffs Begin

A shorter edition of the newsletter this week with just one major tour event taking place. 3 weeks from today we will know at least half of the European Ryder Cup team.

In This Week’s Newsletter:

What even is the FedEx Cup anyway? The latest in the PGA Tour’s ever-changing playoff format

Ever since the inception of LIV Golf, the PGA Tour has been scrambling to improve their product to make it more appealing to players and fans. While some of that innovation has been welcome, it has also resulted in significant change that is difficult to keep track of at times.

The most significant shift came with the introduction of signature events—limited-field tournaments with no cut and guaranteed payouts for the Tour’s top players. In 2025, further changes were made to the FedEx Cup, the season-long ranking system that determines qualification for the next year’s signature events, the playoffs, and, perhaps most importantly, who retains their PGA Tour card for another season.

The playoffs begin this week with the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. The top 70 players in the current season’s FedEx Cup standings have qualified for the event. After this week, the field will be cut to 50 for the BMW Championship, and finally to 30 players for the Tour Championship, where the season-long FedEx Cup champion will be crowned.

Previously, players began the Tour Championship with starting strokes based on their FedEx Cup position heading into the week. Now, the format has shifted to a traditional 72-hole stroke-play event, with the winner crowned FedEx Cup champion and earning a five-year PGA Tour exemption. While the champion has always received a substantial payday, the prize money is now spread across all three playoff events, ensuring players near the top of the standings are rewarded for their performance over the entire season.

Scottie Scheffler, for example, picked up $18M in prize money this week thanks to his position at the top of the FedEx Cup standings. Yes, you read that correctly: eighteen million dollars. He is also guaranteed another $5M in bonus money after this week’s event as he can’t be caught.

The top of the standings are not the only important part of these events. The top 50 players on the FedEx Cup standings are guaranteed entry into all of the signature events in 2026. Those spots will be locked in after the conclusion of this week’s event in Memphis. However, there are some players that won’t be competing because they finished outside the top 70 of the rankings.

Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard did not do enough in the final event this week, finishing 73rd and 85th in the rankings. They will continue their seasons on the DP World Tour. Matt Wallace, who had ambitions to make the European Ryder Cup team, ended the season in 92nd and will have to return to the PGA Tour in the fall to defend his status.

Overall, the playoffs are not the most exciting part of the season for the fans. However, these events determine every player’s future status and as a result, every single stroke matters. While we all wish they would be held at better venues, I will be tuned in to see how it all shakes out.

Other News and Results from the Golfing World:

• The shot of the week comes from the Women’s Open, where Mimi Rhodes used her playing partner’s ball to find the bottom of the cup for an unlikely hole-in-one

  • Japan’s Miyu Yamashita won the event by two strokes

• 😀 Cam Young won his first PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship by 6 strokes

  • Young was one of the best players on tour without a win, and could make a late-season push for the U.S. Ryder Cup team

  • Alex Noren (T4) and Aaron Rai (T6) were the best of the Europeans in the field

Coming up this week on Tour

• The PGA Tour playoffs begin with the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis

• The DP World Tour is going to Scotland and Trump International Golf Links for the Nexo Championship

• LIV Golf goes to Bolingbrook Golf Club for LIV Chicago

If you have any feedback for the newsletter or would like to get in touch, I would love to hear from you! Email [email protected] or message us on Twitter/X at @BlueHorizonGolf. Thank you for reading!