2018 FedEx Cup, Tour Championship: Preview and Top Picks to Win

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The top-30 players in the FedEx Cup tee off Thursday in the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, the home course of golf legend Bobby Jones. There will be a handsome payout on Sunday that includes an $8.75 million purse for the tournament and a $17.5 million bonus pool for the top-five finishers in the FedEx Cup, the points competition throughout the regular season on the PGA Tour.

The winner of the FedEx Cup will receive $10 million. Here’s the bonus structure:

FedEx Cup Prize Money

First Place – $10 million

Second Place – $3 million

Third Place – $2 million

Fourth Place – $1.5 million

Fifth Place – $1 million

In total the 30 men are playing for a cool $26.25 million over the four days. One surprise: Jordan Spieth is absent, falling out of the top 30 at the BMW Championship. Each man in the field has a mathematical chance to win the FedEx Cup if he wins the Tour Championship. But that chance is pretty slim for players outside the top 10.

FedEx Cup Picks & Prediction: Top 5 Golfers Most Likely To Win

The best chances belong to the top-five players in the points standings. Following is a brief profile of each man, including what needs to happen for him to walk away with the $10 million bonus and shiny silver trophy.

No. 1 Bryson DeChambeau

DeChambeau, aka the mad scientist, arrives at the season finale as the hottest player on the PGA Tour. He has won three times in eight events, including back-to-back victories in the FedEx Cup Playoffs at The Northern Trust and the Dell Technologies Championship. This will be his first appearance in the Tour Championship.

Winning scenario: Wins the FedEx Cup by winning the Tour Championship. Has a reasonable chance with a top-six finish.

No. 2 Justin Rose

Rose enters the Tour Championship as the newest No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking. He won twice on the PGA Tour this season, at the WGC-HSBC Champions and the Fort Worth Invitational. He finished runner-up to Keegan Bradley last time out at the BMW Championship.

Winning scenario: Wins the FedEx Cup by winning the Tour Championship. Has a reasonable chance with a top-three finish. Mathematical chance with ninth-place finish.

No. 3 Tony Finau

Finau has had 11 top-10 finishes this season, including three in major championships. He also had a strong playoff run and was buoyed by his recent selection by Captain Furyk to be the final addition to the 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team. Finau finished runner-up, T4 and T8 in the first three playoff events.

Winning scenario: Wins the FedEx Cup by winning the Tour Championship. Has a reasonable chance with a T2 finish. Mathematical chance with two-way tie for third.

No. 4 Dustin Johnson

DJ has three wins this season: Sentry Tournament of Champions, FedEx St. Jude Classic and RBC Canadian Open. He sat atop the world rankings for most of the year. His one top-10 finish in the playoffs was a T7 at the Dell Technologies Championship.

Winning scenario: Wins the FedEx Cup by winning the Tour Championship. Has a reasonable chance with a second-place finish. Mathematical chance with three-way tie for second.

No. 5 Justin Thomas

Thomas is the defending FedEx Cup champion. He collected three wins during the current PGA Tour season and climbed to No. 1 in the world rankings in May. He made a strong title defense at the PGA Championship before faltering on the final holes. His one top-10 finish in the playoffs was a T8 at The Northern Trust.

Winning scenario: Wins the FedEx Cup by winning the Tour Championship. Has a reasonable chance with a second-place finish. Mathematical chance with two-way tie for second.

How Tiger Can Win The Fedex Cup

If you’re wondering how No. 20 Tiger Woods can win the FedEx Cup, it will take a small miracle. Tiger must win the Tour Championship and:

  • No. 1 in the Fedex Cup rankings finishes T15 or worse

  • No. 2 in the Fedex Cup rankings finishes three-way for 5th or worse

  • No. 3 in the Fedex Cup rankings finishes T3 or worse

  • No. 4 in the Fedex Cup rankings finishes in a three-way tie for 2nd or worse

  • No. 5 in the Fedex Cup rankings finishes in a three-way tie for 2nd or worse

  • No. 6 in the Fedex Cup rankings finishes T2 or worse

Woods is playing in the Tour Championship for the first time since 2013. He last won the Tour Championship in 2007 and won the FedEx Cup in 2007 and 2009. (See below for all past FedEx Cup winners.)

2018 Tour Championship Field and Thursday Tee Times

All times Eastern.

11:40 a.m.: Marc Leishman, Patton Kizzire

11:50 a.m.: Hideki Matsuyama, Gary Woodland

12 p.m.: Kyle Stanley, Paul Casey

12:10 p.m.: Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm

12:20 p.m.: Aaron Wise, Kevin Na

12:30 p.m.: Tommy Fleetwood, Tiger Woods

12:40 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele

12:50 p.m.: Patrick Reed, Patrick Cantlay

1 p.m.: Francesco Molinari, Phil Mickelson

1:10 p.m.: Webb Simpson, Jason Day

1:20 p.m.: Billy Horschel, Cameron Smith

1:30 p.m.: Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson

1:40 p.m.: Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley

1:50 p.m.: Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson

2 p.m.: Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose

2018 Tour Championship Details

Dates: September 20-23

Course: East Lake Golf Club

Par: 70

Yardage: 7385 yards

18-hole record: 60, Zach Johnson

Event purse: $8.75 million; $1.575 million to winner

FedEx Cup bonus: $10 million to winner

Field: 30 players

Defending champion: Xander Schauffele

2018 Tour Championship TV Coverage

All times Eastern.

Thursday, September 20: Golf Channel 1 p.m.-6 p.m.

Friday, September 21: Golf Channel 1 p.m.-6 p.m.

Saturday, September 22: Golf Channel 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.; NBC 2:30 p.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday, September 23: Golf Channel 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m.; NBC 1:30 p.m.-6 p.m.

2018 Tour Championship Live Streaming

Live streaming coverage is available at Golf Channel and NBC Sports.

Past FedEx Cup Winners

2007 Tiger Woods

2008 Vijay Singh

2009 Tiger Woods

2010 Jim Furyk

2011 Bill Haas

2012 Brandt Snedeker

2013 Henrik Stenson

2014 Billy Horschel

2015 Jordan Spieth

2016 Rory McIlroy

2017 Justin Thomas

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Neil Sagebiel

Neil Sagebiel is a golf writer and author of two golf books published by St. Martin's Press, THE LONGEST SHOT and DRAW IN THE DUNES. He lives in Floyd, Virginia.
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