This is the 19th year of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, long enough that a generation of tour pros have no memory of a PGA Tour season that didn’t end with this postseason dash. Traditions take time to develop, and the playoffs are starting to accumulate that time—even with another change to the format that’s being implemented for 2025. (Good-bye staggered start!) And they’re also accumulating a lot of interesting statistics along the way. We’ve culled some of the most notable numbers to help flesh out the history of the playoffs and offer a glimpse at what to expect over the course of the next three weeks.
69,515,615
Money that Rory McIlroy has earned, in tournament prize payouts and FedEx Cup bonuses, in his career. He ranks No. 1 among all FedEx Cup money earners, having passed Tiger Woods six years ago when the Northern Irishman won his second of three career FedEx Cup title. (Interestingly, McIlroy is skipping the first FedEx Cup playoff event in 2025, given he's guaranteed to qualify for the Tour Championship by being ranked No. 2 in the FedEx Cup playoff rankings.)
Rory McIlroy celebrates after winning the 2019 Tour Championship, his fifth career FedEx Cup Playoff event title.
Cliff Hawkins
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40,204,388
Money that Scottie Scheffler has earned, in tournament prize payouts and FedEx Cup bonuses, in his career. He ranks No. 3 among all FedEx Cup money earners, only behind McIlroy and Dustin Johnson ($41 million). Scheffler played in his first FedEx Cup Playoffs in 2020, qualifying for the Tour Championship that season. He has qualifed for East Lake every year since, with four top-five FedEx Cup finishes, including a T-2 in 2022 and his victory in 2024.
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0
Tour pros who have qualified for the FedEx Cup Playoffs all 19 years. Matt Kuchar was the last holdout, making it the first 17 years, and tried his hardest at the 2024 Wyndham Championship to see if he could jump into the top 70 on the points list to extend the streak. But he finished T-12, being the lone player to wrap up play in a bizarre Monday finish.
David Jensen
There were six players who qualified for the first 15 years, but Charley Hoffman, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson all missed out in 2022.
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4
Tour pros who have been the No. 1 seed entering the FedEx Cup Playoffs and who have gone on to win the FedEx Cup title. Tiger Woods did it in 2007 and 2009. Jordan Spieth was next accomplish the feat during the 2015 season, with Scheffler following suit a year ago.
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5
Number of times Tiger Woods has been the No. 1 seed entering the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Beyond the two years he won the title (2007, 2009), he was the top-ranked player entering the playoffs in 2008 (finished 70th as he didn’t play due to injury), 2012 (third) and 2013 (second).
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69th
Farthest back any tour pro has been on the FedEx Cup points list to start the playoffs only to win the title. Billy Horschel began well down the standings in 2014 and fell to 82nd after missing the cut in the first playoff event. He then finished T-2/win/win to close out the postseason and become the longest longshot champion in FedEx Cup history. In 18 years, only three times has a player outside the top 15 on the points list entering the playoffs gone on to win (Horschel; Snedeker, 19th in 2012; and McIlroy, 36th in 2016).
No FedEx Cup Playoff winner came from farther back in the standings to take the title than Billy Horschel in 2014.
Sam Greenwood
Interestingly, Adam Scott threatened to become the fourth a year ago. The Australian started the FedEx Cup Playoffs ranked 46th, but a T-2 finish at the BMW Championship allowed him to move into the top 30 and qualify for the Tour Championship. At East Lake, he played well again, finishing T-4.
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116
The biggest jump in spots any tour pro has made in the FedEx Cup standings during the playoffs. Heath Slocum started 124th on the points list in 2009, then won the first playoff event, which jumped him to third. He eventually finished eighth. Changes in how points are given out in the playoffs and a reduction from four to three events mostly prohibit such a move from happening again. Four other players have made jumps of 80 places or more: Tim Herron, 80, 2008; Martin Laird, 84, 2010; Morgan Hoffmann, 98, 2014; Sean O’Hair, 81, 2016.
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5
Number of times Camilo Villegas has “played” his way into the next FedEx Cup tournament (starting outside a point total to qualify for the next event and then playing well enough to finish inside). This is the most of any tour pro in FedEx Cup history. Three other players have done it four times (Marc Leishman, Andres Romero and Ernie Els).
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6
No. 1 seeds entering the Tour Championship who went on to win the title. After failing to take advantage of the staggered-start structure that put him at 10 under par before hitting a shot in 2023, Scottie Scheffler made amends in 2024, winning at East Lake to claim his first Tour Championship and FedEx Cup title. He joined Dustin Johnson (2020) and Patrick Cantlay (2021) to accomplish the feat in the “staggered stoke era.” Prior to Cantlay and DJ, the feat was only accomplished in the first three years of the playoffs, Woods doing it in 2007 and 2009, and Vijay Singh in 2008.
Tiger Woods stood out from the crowd at the 2009 Tour Championship en route to that year's FedEx Cup title.
Chris Condon
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13
Most seasons any one golfer has advanced to the Tour Championship. Dustin Johnson played at East Lake every year from 2009-2021. (It's easy to forget how good DJ was in the PGA Tour postseason after jumping to the LIV Golf League.)
Keyur Khamar
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6
Number of FedEx Cup playoff event wins for Johnson, the most of any golfer. McIlroy is second with five, and Woods two back at four.
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14
Tour pros who have finished in the top 10 in every playoff event in a single season. Xander Schauffele added his name in 2024 with a T-2 at the FedEx St. Jude, T-5 at the BMW and a T-4 in the Tour Championship.
Here’s the list of those who had the top-10s. Note before 2019, there were four playoff events each season, including the Tour Championship:
Rory Sabbatini, 2007
Padraig Harrington, 2009
Dustin Johnson, 2012
Henrik Stenson, 2015
Adam Scott, 2016
Jon Rahm, 2017
Justin Rose, 2017
Jordan Spieth, 2017
Adam Scott, 2019
Dustin Johnson, 2020
Jon Rahm, 2020
Jon Rahm, 2021
Rory McIlroy, 2023
Xander Schauffele, 2024
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13
Consecutive FedEx Cup playoff starts in which Jon Rahm had recorded a top-15 finish, the longest streak of any player. The Spaniard's streak started with a T-11 showing at the 2018 Tour Championship and went through the end of the 2022 Tour Championship. (Llike with DJ, it's also easy to forget how good Rahm was in the PGA Tour postseason after jumping to the LIV Golf League.)
Andrew Redington
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16
PGA Tour rookies who have played their way into the Tour Championship since 2007. Just one made it in 2024—Matthieu Pavon. The best FedEx Cup finish from a rookie was Xander Schauffele, who was third in the final standings in 2017 after winning the Tour Championship.
Xander Schauffele smiles after his one-stroke victory at the 2017 Tour Championship, which left the then PGA Tour rookie in third place for the FedEx Cup title.
Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour
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105
Number of times a player outside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup points list at the start of the playoffs has moved into the top 30 and qualified for the Tour Championship. Four golfers did this in 2023:
Tommy Fleetwood (32)
Keegan Bradley (39)
Adam Scott (46)
Viktor Hovland (57)