FedExCup: Key questions about the end-of-season Play-Offs

Who qualifies? How does it work? We answer some of the key questions about the FedExCup Play-Offs, which get underway this week with The Northern Trust.

What are they?

The FedExCup Play-Offs were introduced in 2007 and comprise four events over a five-week stretch after the end of the regular PGA Tour season; The Northern Trust, Dell Technologies Championship, BMW Championship and the Tour Championship. The aim is to determine who the season-long champion is on the PGA Tour.

Who qualifies?

The top 125 players in the FedExCup standings after the Wyndham Championship qualify for this week’s Northern Trust, after which the top 100 are eligible for next week’s Dell Technologies Championship.

The field is even smaller for the BMW Championship, where only 70 feature, before the top-30 players are reseeded for the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

How does the points system work?

Tour members earn points based on their results in all events they feature in. Each regular PGA Tour event is worth 500 FedExCup points to the winner, with 550 awarded to the winners of each of the World Golf Championships and 600 to those who claim a major title or win the Players Championship.

The points from the regular-season events are carried over to the Play-Offs, where the number of points on offer quadruples to 2,000 for each of the four tournaments.

Who misses out?

Sergio Garcia is the standout name who failed to qualify after his disappointing final-round 70 at the Wyndham Championship left him too far back to breach the top 125 on the standings.

The Spaniard will sit out the Play-Offs for the first time since they were introduced, while Shane Lowry, Graeme McDowell, Steve Stricker and Ryder Cup hopeful Thomas Pieters were the other notable names to miss out.

How do the standings currently look?

Dustin Johnson ended the regular season on top of the standings just 83 points ahead of Justin Thomas. Both collected three wins, but Johnson scored two extra top-10 finishes over his Ryder Cup team-mate.

US Open and PGA champion Brooks Koepka rounded off the podium as he gained over 2,000 points despite playing only 13 events after missing four months of the year with a wrist injury, with England’s Justin Rose a further 21 points back in fourth.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are 20th and 21st respectively, although McIlroy has opted to skip the Northern Trust as he takes time out to work on his game following a frustrating week at the PGA Championship. Woods has not featured in the Play-Offs since 2013.

Tyrrell Hatton (92nd) needs a strong performance in New Jersey to ensure he stays in the top 100 for the Dell Technologies Championship, while Martin Laird (113th) and Seamus Power (125th) are among those currently outside the bubble.

What’s up for grabs?

The prize money is significant over the next four events, with a combined $35m on offer during the four tournaments and $1,575,000 for each winner.

The player with the most points after the Tour Championship not only takes the FedExCup title, but also picks up a cool $10m bonus, with the runner-up taking $3m and there’s $2m for third place.

Will we see a new FedExCup champion?

Tiger Woods remains the only player to win the FedExCup on more than one occasion, following up his victory in the inaugural event in 2007 with another triumph two years later.

Justin Thomas is the defending champion, while Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy are the only other players currently in the world’s top 10 who have previously claimed the overall FedExCup title.

How can I follow the action?

Watch all four tournaments live on Sky Sports Golf. The action gets underway with Featured Group coverage from the Northern Trust, live from 12:30pm.