Record $40M Purse at Tour Championship Changes PGA Dynamics

Owings Mills (USA), August 14 (AP): The prize at the Tour Championship has reached new heights, claiming the title of golf's most lucrative individual prize pool. For the first time, the PGA Tour has made the FedEx Cup winnings count as official money, introducing a staggering total purse of $40 million and awarding $10 million to the tournament winner.

Since the inception of the FedEx Cup in 2007, the bonus pool during the Tour Championship has been unofficial money, with parts of it deferred over time. In a strategic shift in 2019, prize money was scrapped at the Tour Championship, which coincided with a reduction in postseason tournaments from four to three, ultimately boosting the FedEx Cup bonus pool.

That same year marked the debut of "starting strokes," where the No. 1 seed began at 10-under par, maintaining a two-shot advantage over the No. 2 seed. This adjustment meant that the winner of the finale at East Lake also claimed the FedEx Cup, earning a PGA Tour title for securing the Tour Championship.

This year's modification sees the removal of starting strokes. Now, all 30 top contenders who enter the Tour Championship will commence the competition on even ground, akin to a standard tournament format.

A PGA Tour spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday evening that the $40 million bonus pool will now count as official money during the East Lake event.

Another significant alteration involves the distribution of the FedEx Cup's $25 million reward. Scottie Scheffler pocketed $10 million for leading the FedEx Cup during the regular season and is set to receive an additional $5 million for securing the No. 1 seed following this week's BMW Championship. These amounts continue to remain part of the bonus pool, distinct from official money.

With the new structure meaning the player with the lowest score wins the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup, it's official: the $40 million earmarked for the top 30 competitors will now be recognized as official prize money, allocating $10 million to the victor.

Scheffler currently leads the money list at $20,362,883. However, with Masters champion Rory McIlroy ($16,156,418) and U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun ($12,302,222) vying for the prize, they still have a mathematical opportunity to surpass Scheffler with a win at East Lake.

The competition for top honors features generous payouts; the runner-up at East Lake earns $5 million in official money, while third place receives $3,705,000. Even the last-place finisher is guaranteed $355,000.

The last occurrence of an official purse at East Lake was back in 2018, standing at $9 million, with Tiger Woods taking home $1.62 million. Justin Rose, despite not winning a postseason event, clinched the FedEx Cup alongside the $10 million bonus.

Among the several players expressing approval of the move away from starting strokes is Patrick Cantlay. He opines that claiming the Tour Championship title, even for a No. 30 seed player, is a justified achievement of being crowned the FedEx Cup champion.

"I believe if you compete throughout the entire season and make it to the Tour Championship alongside the top 30 players who have excelled all year, and then outperform them at such a crucial time, it signifies a monumental success," he remarked. (AP) AM AM AM

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