Since 2007, the PGA Tour has led into fall with the FedEx Cup playoffs.
While the Tour has changed how points are distributed twice and modified the format so that the Tour Championship, the last of the four events in the series, decides the winner of the FedEx Cup, the overall concept has basically remained the same.
Here's how the FedEx Cup works:
The top 125 players (it was once the top 120) at the end of the regular season, which typically is the Wyndham Championship, qualify for The Barclays, the first leg of the playoffs.
With the start of the playoffs, the number of points available in each tournament are multiplied by four compared to a regular event, meaning that the winner gets 2,000 FedEx Cup points as opposed to the 500 available to the winner of regular PGA Tour events.
Here's the distribution of points:
1. 2000
2. 1200
3. 760
4. 540
5. 440
6. 400
7. 360
8. 340
9. 320
10. 300
11. 280
12. 260
13. 240
14. 228
15. 224
16. 220
17. 216
18. 212
19. 208
20. 204
21. 200
22. 196
23. 192
24. 188
25. 184
26. 180
27. 176
28. 172
29. 168
30. 164
31. 160
32. 156
33. 152
34. 148
35. 144
36. 140
37. 136
38. 132
39. 128
40. 124
41. 120
42. 116
43. 112
44. 108
45. 104
46. 100
47. 96
48. 92
49. 88
50. 84
51. 80
52. 76
53. 72
54. 68
55. 64
56. 60
57. 56
58. 52
59. 48
60. 44
61. 40
62. 36
63. 32
64. 28
65. 24
66. 20
67. 16
68. 12
69. 8
70. 4
71. 3.92
72. 3.84
73. 3.76
74. 3.68
75. 3.6
76. 3.52
77. 3.44
78. 3.36
79. 3.28
80. 3.2
81. 3.12
82. 3.04
83. 2.96
84. 2.88
85. 2.8
At the conclusion of The Barclays -- which has a 36-hole cut to the top 70 and ties -- the top 100 in total points, combinbing the regular season and the first playoff event, move on to the Deutshce Bank Championship.
The Deutsche Bank Championship, which is played over Labor Day weekend and ends on Labor Day Monday, also has a 36-hole cut to the top 70 and ties. At the conclusion of the event at TPC Boston, the top 70 players in points combining the regular season and the first two playoff events get into the BMW Championship.
The BMW Championship has no cut, so all eligible starting players get four rounds to try to improve their finish. With the last putt at the BMW Championship, the former Western Open, the top 30 players in points that combine the regular season and the FedEx Cup playoff events then qualify for the Tour Championship.
Before the Tour Championship, the points reset so that there is a scenario in which each of the 30 players in the Tour Championship field has a mathematical chance of winning the FedEx Cup.
Take a look at the points reset:
1. 2000
2. 1800
3. 1600
4. 1440
5. 1280
6. 1120
7. 960
8. 800
9. 640
10. 480
11. 384
12. 368
13. 352
14. 336
15. 320
16. 304
17. 288
18. 272
19. 256
20. 248
21. 240
22. 232
23. 224
24. 216
25. 208
26. 200
27. 192
28. 184
29. 176
30. 168
Players in the top five in the standings going into the Tour Championship also earn an edge: If any of them wins the Tour Championship, they also win the FedEx Cup. At the end of it all, the winner get $10 million, including $9 million in cash and a $1 million contribution to their retirement fund.
