FedExCup Playoffs Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

LOOK: The 30 players who qualified for the 2022 PGA Tour FedEx Cup Tour Championship

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 07:57:50 +0000

By Joel Beall
Sahith Theegala knew what was on the line and knew what he had to do, which may explain why he had the hardest time keeping his hands in one place.

“Yeah, I was really nervous this morning. I had my best friend Roy with me this week, and it was cool having him by my side. But I was nervous,” Theegala said on Sunday afternoon after a closing 68. “I had a little bit of the shakes warming up. I couldn’t hold my hands still.” In case the message wasn’t clear, Theegala added: “It was a wild ride.”

And a ride that Theegala and a select few will continue one more week.

While Patrick Cantlay captured the BMW Championship at Wilmington Country Club there were 29 others who can count themselves winners in Delaware on Sunday, finishing inside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup to earn a trip to next week’s Tour Championship.

“Yeah, it’s really exciting,” said Corey Conners, whose T-5 finish will keep his season alive. “It’s always a goal at the start of the year. I feel like I’ve had a solid season. Still trying to get in the winner’s circle again, but a lot of really solid play, giving myself some chances, and really excited to be going back to East Lake.”

Aside from a truckload of guaranteed money — $500,000 for last place at East Lake, $18 million for a victory — a spot in the Tour Championship brings exemptions into the Masters, US Open and Open Championship along with a number of invites into the tour’s more important events. In short, if you make it to the season finale at East Lake, your next year is made.

There were four players that were outside the top 30 entering the week that earned a trip to Atlanta thanks to their performances at the BMW. Scott Stallings leads the group, his runner-up finish jumping him 34 spots to No. 12.

Other players that vaulted into the top 30 were Adam Scott, KH Lee and Aaron Wise.

Scott provided the drama late on Sunday afternoon. Needing a par on the 18th hole, the Aussie’s tee shot finished on a hill in the rough. It left Scott standing in a bunker with his ball two feet above his feet as he went to play his second shot. His approach wasn’t great, finding a greenside bunker, yet pulled off a marvelous third to inside two feet and cleaned up what remained to secure his spot in next week’s field.

Scott, one of just two players to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs all 16 years since its inception, moved from 46th at the start of the week to 29th. It was the second straight week that he had “played” his way into the next playoff event, after finishing T-5 at last week’s FedEx St Jude Championship go from 82nd to 46th.

The final player in was Wise, who also made 4 on the closing hole when a 5 would have pushed him out.

“Yeah, it means a lot,” Wise said. “It’s tough to be in the top 30 on this tour for a year. It’s an honor. It takes a lot of hard work. It takes a lot of good golf. Especially the first time I made it I had a win, which I feel like really helps you. This time I did it without a win. So it’s kind of even more sweet to be in that elite field without having a win this year.”

Of course, for players to jump out that means other have fallen out. Bad weeks by Tom Kim, Davis Riley and Kevin Kisner equated to their seasons coming to an end. JJ Spaun, who entered the week at No. 30, dropped three spots at the BMW, unable to overcome a Friday 74.

Shane Lowry, who began the week at No. 37, was the first man out, a T-12 finish not enough to get him where he needed to be.

There is a golf tournament to be played next week, and once it begins all focus will be on the competition. But to most making the trip to even be in a position to compete is reward in itself, and one not lost on Theegala.

“I think the validation of the season, it’s another step for me to feel like I really belong because I still don’t feel like I’m really there at the top of the game,” Theegala said. “Slowly building confidence every week, whether it’s a good or bad week. I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress. Yeah, it would mean the world to make the Tour Championship and stand along 29 of the other best golfers in the world.”

Here are the 30 players who have qualified for the 2022 Tour Championship.
Scottie Scheffler, -10
Patrick Cantlay, -8
Will Zalatoris, -7
Xander Schauffele, -6
Sam Burns, -5
Cameron Smith, -4
Rory McIlroy, -4
Tony Finau, -4
Sepp Straka, -4
Sungjae Im, -4
Jon Rahm, -3
Scott Stallings, -3
Justin Thomas, -3
Camerson Young, -3
Matt Fitzpatrick, -3
Max Homa, -2
Hideki Matsuyama, -2
Jordan Spieth, -2
Joaquin Niemann, -2
Viktor Hovland, -2
Collin Morikawa, -1
Billy Horschel, -1
Tom Hoge, -1
Corey Conners, -1
Brian Harman, -1
KH Lee, E
JT Poston, E
Sahith Theegala, E
Adam Scott, E
Aaron Wise, E

The post LOOK: The 30 players who qualified for the 2022 PGA Tour FedEx Cup Tour Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Rory McIlroy buries some demons and earns $15 million for winning the FedEx Cup

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 01:38:24 +0000

McIlroy celebrates after winning on the 18th green during the final round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on August 25, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

By Brian Wacker
ATLANTA – A year ago at East Lake, Rory McIlroy was swallowed up by Tiger Woods and a sea of humanity. A month ago in Memphis, he was bludgeoned by the baddest man in golf, Brooks Koepka.

Sunday at East Lake, he was simply magnificent, particularly given what was at stake, as much as the stakes themselves: $15 million and a second FedEx Cup.

“I didn’t enjoy that walk last year like everyone else did,” McIlroy said. “I played terribly. I got myself into the final group and never took the fight to Tiger. Going up against the number one player in the world today, he got one over on me in Memphis, and I wanted to try to sort of get some revenge today. To play like that alongside Brooks and get the win, win the FedEx Cup, yeah, it’s awesome.”

Big statement. Big pay cheque. Not that McIlroy cared about the latter. At this point in his career, he reportedly is worth north of $150 million. What’s another 15?

More important to him? Finishing the year atop the strokes gained statistic, winning the tournament and consequently getting back to No. 2 in the world. Check, check and check.

It was equally important that he not blow another opportunity, too. Despite a season in which he’d already won twice, including a Players, it was the ones that got away are what he remembered most.

One of those came at last year’s Tour Championship, where playing alongside Woods in the last group on Sunday he stumbled home with a 74. Then there was the heavyweight showdown with Koepka last month in Memphis, which was over faster than a Mike Tyson knockout.

“I thought about the final group with Tiger last year, the final group with Brooks in Memphis a few weeks ago,” said McIlroy, who played 31 holes Sunday after completing the third round in the morning because of inclement weather the day before. “I really wanted to go out there and play well and really take it to him, and I did that for the most part.”

A month ago in Memphis, McIlroy led Koepka by a stroke going into the final round and it was Koepka who quickly erased the deficit with three birdies in his first six holes. McIlroy, meanwhile, was the only player in the top 10 who failed to break par and for a long while was the only player in the field not to make a birdie that day.

This time it was McIlroy who came out swinging, rolling in four birdies in his first 13 holes. He eventually finished the week tied for 11th in strokes-gained: putting – long the Achilles Heel of his game -– and led the field in the final round.

Koepka, meanwhile, looked more like McIlroy did in Memphis. On the seventh, he blew his tee shot left and into the trees, never to be found. A birdie by McIlroy and a double by Koepka dropped Koepka two back of McIlroy. He never caught him after that.

McIlroy wasn’t without his moments, but this time he overcame them.

Among the big putts: A 10-footer to save par on the third; a 23-footer for birdie on the seventh; a testy five-and-a-half footer to save par on the eighth; a 12-footer for birdie on 13; a clutch eight-footer to save par on 16.

Then he delivered two final nails, a 15-footer for birdie on 17 and a six-footer on the last.

While Koepka began to fade -– a missed par putt from four feet on 12 and bogeys on each of the next two holes –- Xander Schauffele charged, climbing to within one after he’d birdied 12 ahead of McIlroy. But that was as close as he’d get the rest of the way with five pars sandwiched around a bogey on 14.

Rory? He never got rattled, was never too high or too low. Standing across from Koepka only helped, too.

“Once I saw I was in the final group with Brooks, it just took me back to Memphis a few weeks ago, and I felt like I learned a few lessons that day,” he said. “I think one of the biggest things is sometimes I try to treat Sundays the same as a Thursday or Friday, and they’re not.

“Brooks went out there in Memphis and shot 65 and just basically dominated the tournament, dominated me. And I realized if I want to become the dominant player in the world again, I need to be more like that.”

On this day he was. And perhaps many more ahead.

The post Rory McIlroy buries some demons and earns $15 million for winning the FedEx Cup appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

FedEx Cup Playoffs 2019: Frequently Asked Questions

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 06:39:59 +0000

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
A year ago at East Lake Golf Club, Justin Rose claimed the 2018 FedEx Cup title while Tiger Woods won the season-ending Tour Championship.

By Greg Gottfried
Since their inception in 2007, the FedEx Cup Playoffs have been evolving. During the first few years, PGA Tour brass tinkered with how many points golfers received for regular-season events versus playoff events. For 2009, they made sure players couldn’t clinch the FedEx Cup before the end of the Tour Championship (as Vijay Singh had done in 2008). In 2015, points reset when golfers got to the Tour Championship, ensuring that every player in the final field had a mathematical chance to win the FedEx Cup. However, as the 13th edition of the Playoffs begin in 2019, the changes set to play out over the next three weeks—beginning with the Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., followed by the BMW Championship at Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago and the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta—are more than subtle tweaks but rather a dramatic overhaul to the end-of-the-season event. To break it all down, here are some answers to questions you might have that will help you understand what’s in store as the tour decides its next FedEx Cup champion.

When are the FedEx Cup Playoffs played?
The three tournaments will span from Aug. 8-25. It will all begin on Thursday in New Jersey with the Northern Trust.

Wait, three tournaments. Haven’t there always been four tournaments? What’s going on?
Yes, you’re right. One of the big changes for 2019 is that the Playoffs have been decreased from four to three events, which will help allow the season to come to a close the week before Labor Day.

How many golfers will play in each of the three events?
The top 125 players off the FedEx Cup points list are in the field at this week’s Northern Trust. That number decreases to 70 for the BMW Championship. The top 30 will then advance from Medinah to Atlanta for the Tour Championship, the traditional conclusion of the season.

Is that it for the changes? I could have sworn I read something about the scoring system getting overhauled.
It did, actually. (Good memory!) Specifically, for the Tour Championship. Instead of all 30 players starting with the same score, this year players will be staggered by strokes based on where they stand in the FedEx Cup points list. The No. 1 ranked player will start the final tournament at 10 under par, with the No. 2 player at eight under, and then seven under, six under and five under for Nos. 3-5. Nos. 6-10 will be at four under; Nos. 11-15 start at three under; Nos. 16-20 start at two under; Nos. 21-25 start at one under; and Nos. 26-30 start at even par. The individual with the best score after the stroke adjustment, not merely the best 72-hole score, will be the winner of the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.

So there won’t be separate winners of the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup anymore?
Nope … that’s why the change was made, to help eliminate the confusion of somebody winning the tournament at East Lake but not being the actual FedEx Cup champion. In fact, there is no longer a separate purse for the Tour Championship.

Stan Badz

Were there two winners a lot?
In the first 12 years of the Playoffs, it happened four times, including the past two seasons. Remember Tiger Woods’ win at last year’s Tour Championship? Well, it was Justin Rose, however, who took home the FedEx Cup. Similarly, Xander Schauffele became the first rookie to win the Tour Championship in 2017, but Justin Thomas took the FedEx Cup title. Given how frequently this was happening, tour officials decided they needed an alternative to simplify the race for the FedEx Cup title.

Will winning the Tour Championship count for a player’s victory total?
Yes. It still counts for the PGA Tour’s records.

How is the World Ranking handling these changes to the Tour Championship?
OK, so much for avoiding confusion. The World Ranking will actually keep the same approach as in years past. The Official World Golf Ranking board approved a proposal in April from the PGA Tour that bypasses the staggered start and instead looks at where the players would have finished without the new rules for the FedEx Cup. So the winner of the Tour Championship according to the World Rankings might not be the person crowned the FedEx Cup champion but rather the player who shoots the lowest score over 72 holes at East Lake.

Who are the players in the lead for this year’s event?
Entering the playoffs, Brooks Koepka is the FedEx Cup points leader with 2,887 points. He holds a 572-point edge on second-place Rory McIlroy (2,315 points). Matt Kuchar (2,313), Xander Schauffele (1,858) and Gary Woodland (1,795) complete the top five.

Ben Jared

Do points from the regular season carry over into the playoffs?
Yes. Any points earned in the first two FedEx Cup playoff events are simply added to a player’s regular-season points to get their new place on the FedEx Cup points list each week.

How are the points earned different in the playoffs compared to the regular season?
As you might imagine, a premium is given to players who win/play well playoff events. If you won a regular-season PGA Tour stop, you earned 500 points. For a playoff win, you get 2,000 points. Similarly, all players earn four times the points for their performances in playoff events compared to regular-season tournaments.

Who is the defending FedEx Cup champion?
Justin Rose won in 2018, jumping up from the fourth spot at the start of the Playoffs. Heading into this year’s event, Rose is No. 11 in the standings.

Who has won the most FedEx Cups?
Tiger Woods—you’ve probably heard of him—has won the Playoffs twice, in 2007 and 2009. He is the only golfer to win the FedEx Cup more than once.

Other past champions include:
2008: Vijay Singh
2010: Jim Furyk
2011: Bill Haas
2012: Brandt Snedeker
2013: Henrik Stenson
2014: Billy Horschel
2015: Jordan Spieth
2016: Rory McIlroy
2017: Justin Thomas
2018: Justin Rose

Will Tiger Woods be in this year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs?
Yes. Woods has played only 10 events in 2019, but with his Masters win, he has qualified for the playoffs (he’s 28th on the points list) and announced last week that he would play at the Northern Trust and the BMW Championship. Although Woods hasn’t competed in a tournament since missing the cut at the Open Championship, he has been preparing for the tour’s postseason. “I’m going to take a couple of weeks off and get ready for the playoffs,” Woods said in July. “We’ve got the playoffs coming up, and anything can happen. Last year, I almost stole the whole FedEx Cup at the very end. … So get ready for those events. And after that, then have a break.”

How much FedEx Cup prize money will be handed out?
Ahh … that’s another big change this year. Previously, the FedEx Cup champion earned a $10 million bonus, but starting in 2019 the winner will bank $15 million. Each subsequent place also has gotten a bump, with the overall FedEx Cup prize money equaling $60 million.

Here’s the breakdown for all the players at the Tour Championship:

1: $15,000,000
2: $5,000,000
3: $4,000,000
4: $3,000,000
5: $2,500,000
6: $1,900,000
7: $1,300,000
8: $1,100,000
9: $950,000
10: $830,000
11: $750,000
12: $705,000
13: $660,000
14: $620,000
15: $595,000
16: $570,000
17: $550,000
18: $535,000
19: $520,000
20: $505,000
21: $490,000
22: $478,000
23: $466,000
24: $456,000
25: $445,000
26: $435,000
27: $425,000
28: $415,000
29: $405,000
30: $395,000

The post FedEx Cup Playoffs 2019: Frequently Asked Questions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Xander Schauffele’s ‘wild ride’ ends with Tour Championship victory and a $3.5 million payday

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 04:39:53 +0000

Xander Schauffele celebrates with the Calamity Jane trophy on the 18th green after winning the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

By Brian Wacker
In June, Xander Schauffele survived a five-for-two playoff to qualify for the U.S. Open. The following month, he birdied the 72nd hole at the Greenbrier to win by one. Last week outside Chicago, he made four birdies and an eagle over his last six holes to tie for 20th to survive and advance in the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Playoffs.

The 23-year-old was only a rookie on the PGA Tour this year and already developing a reputation as being awfully clutch.

Sunday, he only enhanced his stature. Schauffele rallied to win the season-ending Tour Championship, curling in a short birdie putt on the par-5 18th to cap a final-round two-under 68 to win by one over Justin Thomas, who took home the FedEx Cup and its $10 million in the process.

Schauffele, meanwhile, netted more than $3.5 million in earnings for his victory and third-place finish in the final FedEx Cup standings.

Only two rookies had made it to this year’s season-finale and only 11 have since the inception of the playoffs in 2007.

None had ever won it. Until now.

“Five months ago, two months ago, three hours ago I wasn’t really expecting a whole lot,” said Schauffele as he sat next to a replica of Bobby Jones’ famous Calamity Jane putter, the new trophy given to the winner at East Lake. “To be sitting here with this bad boy right here is very special.”

The entire year turned out to be beyond special for Schauffele, whose name rhymes with awfully and in that regard he has been awfully good when it has mattered most.

Twelve months ago, Schauffele wasn’t even sure if he’d have a PGA Tour card. Despite racking up four top 10s and earning $149,000 during the regular season on the Web.com Tour, he finished just $975 short of 25th place on the money list and an automatic PGA Tour card.

It didn’t matter.

In the Web.com Finals, a T-9 at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship was enough to secure one of the 25 cards handed out in the postseason.

Once he got on the PGA Tour, though, it was mostly feast or famine. He finished fifth in his second start of the season but soon missed five cuts in six starts wrapping into the early part of 2017. The trend continued through the early part of summer, too, with three more weekends off in an eight-event span.

Then came the qualifier in Tennessee for the U.S. Open. Schauffele got in and at Erin Hills tied for fifth.

“I was struggling to keep my card and get in tournaments and found a way to breeze through the U.S. Open somehow with a cool head,” he said Sunday night. “I looked at that and thought, ‘Wow, I could actually do this.’ I think back a lot to that moment and that week to realize I could be out here.

“There was never a matter of maybe I can’t do it. I just wasn’t doing it and thinking maybe I need more experience or find some way to gain more experience without losing my card, which is impossible. The thought of falling back on the Web.com Tour was in my head … I wasn’t happy I was thinking that way but I was trying to be realistic.”

Three weeks after his breakthrough moment on the big stage at the U.S. Open, Schauffele got his first win. He followed with top-20 finishes in the British Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

In the playoffs, he tied for 17th at the Northern Trust and kept advancing.

Then at East Lake he rode a hot putter all the way to taking home another putter, the favorite club of Bobby Jones. For the week, Schauffele made 67 of 69 putts inside 10 feet.

“It’s been a wild ride,” said Schauffele, who earned a three-year exemption with the victory. “I weaseled my way in last week and have been weaseling my way around all year.”

The post Xander Schauffele’s ‘wild ride’ ends with Tour Championship victory and a $3.5 million payday appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Why Harold Varner III continues to smile

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 06:32:18 +0000

(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

By Joel Beall
OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — It’s the smile that sticks with you. The unorthodox swing — a short, compact, forceful motion that looks he’s waving a carnival high-striker hammer — catches the eye. His half-hitch, half-saunter stride also captivates. Even with golf’s engaging crop of players, his interaction with fans — stopping countless times for handshakes, autographs and photos — is noticeable. And you’d be lying if you didn’t say his skin color, different from that of the marshals, media, gallery and his peers, didn’t grab your attention. But it’s Harold Varner III’s smile — a gleam that would shine through a solar eclipse — that sticks with you.

One that was especially bright in Long Island on Wednesday. And why wouldn’t he be smiling? That Varner’s here signals an incontrovertible truth: the clock didn’t strike midnight on his Cinderella story.

[divider] [/divider]

To many PGA Tour players, the Northern Trust is a business trip, the start of a grueling, laborious postseason. For a select few, however, it’s a celebration. It’s a group of guys who have spent the past months wondering if the horizon will bring another season in the bigs or a loathsome journey to the minors. To the lucky few whose bubbles didn’t burst, this week is like the Academy Awards: just earning the invite makes them a winner. And rightfully so: they have secured their tour card — and to a bigger extent, their future — for another year.

This crowd includes a Ryder Cupper in J.J. Henry, former top-10 player Rory Sabbatini and Martin Flores, who locked down his status thanks to an ace on his 70th hole last week. Also in this bunch: Varner, who became the first African-American to earn his card via the Web.com Tour in 2015.

Icon Sportswire

Varner’s story is deeper than race. He picked the sport up at nine thanks to a local course offering a $100 junior membership. By 16, he was working the range at a country club when the pro started giving him lessons, and his game took off. He eventually earned a scholarship to East Carolina, and won Conference USA Player of the Year honors in his senior season.

After working his way up through golf’s professional ranks, he grabbed his tour invite in 2015 at 25 years old, and last winter won the Australian PGA Championship, his first professional victory. Varner seemed destined for big things.

Yes, that he’s a black athlete in a very white sport makes this climb noteworthy. But “growing the game” isn’t tied to ethnicity. It’s about the middle and lower class, diverse backgrounds, late bloomers, creating opportunities where they don’t exist. All facets that Varner speaks to, color of his skin be damned.

Unfortunately, after a respectable rookie campaign, the 27-year-old struggled with his game this season. Heading into last week’s Wyndham Championship, Varner had not posted a top-10 finish in 28 appearances, missing the cut in almost a third of his starts. Though he had improved his iron play, his short game went south, ranking outside the top 140 in strokes gained: around-the-green and putting. His improbable dream was on life support.

But Varner answered the bell in Greensboro last week, and answered with vim. Starting the tournament 138th in the FedEx Cup, Varner opened with a seven-under 63, good for third after Day 1. He followed with rounds of 68 and 66, putting himself in strong position to move into the venerable 125. Through his Sunday front nine, that ticket seemed ensured, touring the side in 32 strokes.

Earlier this month, Varner wrote a piece for the Players Tribune, addressing the double-edged sword of his celebrity.

“The primary reason people know me is that I’m black,” Varner said. “I’m not afraid to say that. Maybe I’ll get a bit more media coverage or be seen as the guy who can change the way the tour is perceived. Being black has helped me, no doubt.

“On the other hand, from when I first started playing golf at a high level, I was seen as the good black golfer — not just a good golfer. Even though my primary goal is to be the best golfer on the PGA Tour, and even though I have the same goals as any of the top players, I’m often labeled as that guy. You know…the black guy who isn’t Tiger. Trust me, I hear it.

“But out here on tour, I want to be known as a winner.”

Varner will have plenty of chances to get his trophy. But he doesn’t need hardware for that designation. Simply being inside the ropes makes Varner a winner, a walking paragon of all the good the game can be.

And Varner knows it, too, irrefutably evident in that smile.

Consecutive bogeys, however, with three ho-hum pars suddenly put things in doubt, as the rest of the field painted the course in red to drop Varner down the board. But, with his career on the line, he righted the ship with a birdie on the 15th, with pars on the closing holes sealing the deal. For at least one more season, Varner — and the drive he represents — would run with the big boys.

Sam Greenwood

Earlier this month, Varner wrote a piece for the Players Tribune, addressing the double-edged sword of his celebrity.

“But out here on tour, I want to be known as a winner.”

And Varner knows it, too, irrefutably evident in that smile.

The post Why Harold Varner III continues to smile appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.