The season-long race to the TOUR Championship is finally here. With the St. Jude Championship and the BMW Championship in the rearview mirror, the top 70 golfers who entered the playoffs have been narrowed down to the final 30. Atlanta, GA is the next and final destination for the PGA Tour. East Lake Golf Club will host the world’s best golfers at the top of their game. The winner will hoist the iconic trophy, take home the massive grand prize and earn the title of FedEx Cup Champion.
In a season that spans across eight months, many questions and storylines emerge throughout the year. With awards, team competitions, and big changes looming, there is still a lot to play for in the FedEx Cup finale, and the results will create cascading impacts beyond just this weekend.
Player of the Year Race
At the conclusion of the regular season, there were several players up for PGA Player of the Year. Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Cameron Young were among the top contenders for the award.
The 2025 Player of the Year, Scheffler, had been dominant all year and looked to repeat. Being the best player tee-to-green all season, the world number one was on the first page of the leaderboard in almost every start. But with only one win to show for it and five runner-up finishes, he struggled at times to close out events.
Clark had two wins heading into the postseason. He had a quiet start to the year before bursting on the scene in late May with a win at the CJ Cup. His biggest win would come three weeks later at the U.S. Open.
Fitzpatrick closed out his regular season with three wins. With the success he found this year, he struggled to contend in the major championships. Being as dominant as he was, he didn’t contend in the majors.
Young is in the middle of his breakout year. He added two more wins to his resume at THE PLAYERS and the Cadillac Championship. He also found success in the majors. His runner-up at The Open and a T3 at the Masters were both career bests. Young didn’t miss a cut all season, but has the fewest top 25s out of the four.
As these four headed into the playoffs, one of them needed to perform well enough to push themselves ahead of the others.
The Race Reaches the Playoffs
In the first playoff event, Scheffler dominated. His victory at the St. Jude Championship marked his second victory of the season. Winning by eight shots, it looked like he had the Player of the Year locked up again.
The following week at the BMW Championship would make the race a bit more interesting. Clark soared up the leaderboard and stayed atop for all four days. He would lift the trophy for his third win of the season. This victory for Clark closes the gap on the Player of the Year pursuit and potentially turns it into a two-man race.
A win at the TOUR Championship would easily push Scheffler or Clark ahead for the award. If Fitzpatrick or Young could come away victorious, it would definitely spice up the competition and bolster their respective Player of the Year resumes.
Presidents Cup Rosters
The Presidents Cup returns to the U.S. at Medinah Country Club this September. This year, the U.S. team will be led by Brandt Snedeker and the International team will be led by Geoff Ogilvy. The U.S. team will be looking to capture its 11th straight victory when they tee it up in Chicago.
Following the BMW Championship, the top six automatic qualifiers for the U.S team have been finalized. Scheffler, Young, Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley, and Collin Morikawa will lead the way for the U.S. team. Clark’s win at the BMW pushed him up four spots into the top six, knocking Ben Griffin, who finished T44, out of automatic qualification. With six more captain’s picks that have yet to be determined, and several players vying for a spot, East Lake will be an opportunity to showcase why they should be chosen.
Since the International team uses the Official World Golf Ranking to determine their automatic qualifiers, the top six that will compete at Medinah will be announced after the TOUR Championship. As it currently stands, Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Fox, Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee, and Adam Scott are their top six. Considering all of them will be competing this weekend, and everyone else in the standings will be watching from home, they should be the first six to shape the roster.
Positioning for New PGA Format
Next year will be the final season under the current PGA Tour format. The standings at the end of next year will form the framework for placing players into the new two-series model. For everyone trying to get on the high-level Championship Series, finishing in the top 90 is where they need to be. Failing to make the top 90 will put them at risk of being relegated to the lower-level Challengers Series. With all the guarantees and exemptions players receive for competing in the postseason, those who finished in the top 70 this season have a great chance to secure a spot in the Championship Series in 2028. The further they advanced in the postseason, the better their chances get.
Everyone who teed it up at the St. Jude Championship this year earned exemptions into all full-field events and a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship. This will provide players with ample opportunities to secure points in a variety of tournaments. For the top 50 who advanced to the BMW Championship, they are granted access to all signature events for next season. With higher point chances in these events, playing well at one of these tournaments can catapult someone’s season. The final 30 qualifiers for the season finale will lock up spots in all four majors.
With the PGA Tour season culminating at East Lake, the TOUR Championship represents far more than just crowning a FedEx Cup champion.
One final week of golf will shape both the end of this season and what comes next.
Leave a comment