And just like that, the PGA Tour season finale is upon us, with the 30 leading contenders in the FedEx Cup set to tee it up at the oldest course in Atlanta and the home of Bobby Jones, East Lake Golf Club.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler returned to the summit of the FedEx Cup standings courtesy of a T3 finish at the BMW Championship. In the unique scoring format, the Masters champion will tee it up at the Tour Championship at 10-under-par and a two stroke lead from his nearest competitor.
Patrick Cantlay is hot on the heels of his American counterpart after a successful title defence at the BMW Championship, where he became the first player in FedEx Cup history to defend a Playoffs title. The 30-year-old will begin the Tour Championship two shots adrift of Scheffler with the chance to make history again and become the first back-to-back winner of the FedEx Cup.
Will Zalatoris rounds off a trio of American's at the top of the standings and was expected to begin the Tour Championship three off the lead. The 26-year-old claimed his first PGA Tour title in emphatic fashion at the FedEx St. Jude Championship earlier this month but a back injury forced a third round withdrawal last week. The 26-year-old's race to recover has been unsuccessful and he has withdrawn from the tournament.
Recently-crowned Open champion Cameron Smith, who was ruled out of the BMW Championship as a result of a hip injury, returns at East Lake. The Aussie was the subject of a recent report which claimed this may well be his last PGA Tour event, with the 28-year-old rumoured to have signed a lucrative $100m deal to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series.
Rory McIlroy is presented with the opportunity to make history this week. The Northern Irishman enters at No.7 in the FedEx Cup standings and although six shots off the lead, can become the first three-time winner of the FedEx Cup.
Ten players will make their Tour Championship debuts at East Lake, including fan favourite Sahith Theegala. The Californian has had a superb rookie season on the PGA Tour, with five top-10 finishes - including an agonising T2 at the Travellers Championship.
The Tour Championship marks the culmination of the FedEx Cup, where the winner will take home as astounding $18 million. There is a whopping $11.5 million between first and second place with each of the top-10 walking away with a seven-figure pay out. Expect drama and tension as the PGA Tour draws the curtain on what has been a turbulent 2022 season.
2022 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD & Starting Positions
- -10 Scottie Scheffler
- -8 Patrick Cantlay
- -7 Will Zalatoris
- -6 Xander Schauffele
- -5 Sam Burns
- -4 Cameron Smith, Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Sepp Straka, Sungjae Im
- -3 Jon Rahm, Scott Stallings, Justin Thomas, Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick
- -2 Max Homa, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, Joaquin Niemann, Viktor Hovland
- -1 Collin Morikawa, Billy Horschel, Tom Hoge, Corey Conners, Brian Harman
- E K.H. Lee, J.T. Poston, Sahith Theegala, Adam Scott, Aaron Wise
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZE MONEY BREAKDOWN
| FedEx Cup Standing | Prize Money |
| 1 | $18,000,000 |
| 2 | $6,500,000 |
| 3 | $5,000,000 |
| 4 | $4,000,000 |
| 5 | $3,000,000 |
| 6 | $2,500,000 |
| 7 | $2,000,000 |
| 8 | $1,500,000 |
| 9 | $1,250,000 |
| 10 | $1,000,000 |
| 11 | $950,000 |
| 12 | $900,000 |
| 13 | $850,000 |
| 14 | $800,000 |
| 15 | $760,000 |
| 16 | $720,000 |
| 17 | $700,000 |
| 18 | $680,000 |
| 19 | $660,000 |
| 20 | $640,000 |
| 21 | $620,000 |
| 22 | $600,000 |
| 23 | $580,000 |
| 24 | $565,000 |
| 25 | $550,000 |
| 26 | $540,000 |
| 27 | $530,000 |
| 28 | $520,000 |
| 29 | $510,000 |
| 30 | $500,000 |
WHERE IS THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP BEING PLAYED?
The Tour Championship is held at the oldest course in Atlanta and the home of Bobby Jones, East Lake Golf Club.
It was initially designed by Tom Bendelow, while both Donald Ross and Rees Jones, son of the famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, have each influenced the famed property in the last century.
WHO WON THE 2021 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP?
Cantlay enjoyed his best season to date in 2021, with victories at the Memorial Tournament, BMW Championship and Tour Championship. The victory at East Lake culminated his FedEx Cup success and secured the $15m first prize. He was later awarded the PGA Tour Player of the Year.
HOW MUCH IS THE PURSE FOR THE 2022 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP?
The season-long FedEx Cup carries a $75 million purse, with $18 million awarded to the winner.
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