Tour Championship 2024: Will there be a twist in the tale as FedEx Cup reaches Atlanta climax?
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After 39 events and 28 different winners, the final event of the 2024 PGA Tour season is finally here as the Tour Championship returns to East Lake Golf Club.
The top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings following the BMW Championship will descend on Atalanta with the chance to win the Tour Championship.
Established in 1987, the Tour Championship featured the top 30 money winners on the PGA Tour after the penultimate event. This format ran through until 2006 before the inaugural FedEx Cup playoffs began in 2007 with the Tour Championship moving from its usual November slot to mid-September. Prize money accumulated during a season didn’t form part of the new qualification process. Instead, points gained throughout the season determined who qualified for the playoffs and who missed out.
Before 2019, any player in the top five of the FedEx Cup standings could win the Tour Championship and take home the FedEx Cup. Since then, however, whoever wins the final event at East Lake will also win the season-long race and be crowned FedEx Cup champion.
Last year, Victor Hovland won the preceding BMW Championship before continuing his rich vein of form to win the Tour Championship, becoming just the fourth European to claim the end-of-season crown, and with it an $18 million fortune.
Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele have been the two outstanding golfers this season. Will either one of the deserving Americans win the Tour Championship and take home their first FedEx Cup trophy, or will there be one final twist in 2024’s tale?
Where is the Tour Championship played?
Since its inception in 1987, eight different courses have hosted the Tour Championship, including Pebble Beach (1988), Pinehurst No.2 (1991 & 1992), and Champions Golf Club (five times) before East Lake was instated as its permanent home from 2004.
East Lake was the home course of Bobby Jones – arguably one of the finest golfers to play the game – which opened in 1904, hosting its first event in 1907 – the Southern Amateur.
Donald Ross redesigned the course in 1913 and his routing plan had both the front nine and back nine concluding at the clubhouse, a design which is still in place today. The par-70, 7346-yard course features narrow fairways, placing accurate driving as the key strategy for the 30-strong field this week.
What is the format of the Tour Championship?
The Tour Championship features a unique staggered start whereby the top 30 players will be recognized for their regular season performance utilizing FedEx Cup Starting Strokes. From here the tournament proceeds as a regular 72-hole strokeplay event. The player who ends the tournament as the winner will not only receive the FedEx Cup trophy but also a bonus of $18m and a five-year PGA Tour card, not bad for four days’ work.
Here’s how the leaderboard will look before the start of round one.
| FedEx Cup position (after the BMW Championship) | Starting score |
| No.1 | 10-under |
| No.2 | 8-under |
| No.3 | 7-under |
| No.4 | 6-under |
| No.5 | 5-under |
| No.6-10 | 4-under |
| No.11-15 | 3-under |
| No. 16-20 | 2-under |
| No.21-25 | 1-under |
| No.26-30 | Even par |
Who is in the field at the Tour Championship?
The full field for the final event of the season has now been confirmed following Keegan Bradley’s win at the BMW Championship which propelled the 2011 PGA Champion to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings. Justin Thomas is the final man to squeeze into the top 30 with Brian Harman currently sitting as first reserve in 31st place. Both Hideki Matsuyama and Robert MacIntyre withdrew from the second playoff event, offering some hope of a last-minute call-up to those just missing out.
How much will the winner of the Tour Championship receive?
Just $25 million. Here is how much the top 10 finishers at the Tour Championship are set to take home. The bonus payouts even surpass those due to be earned at the LIV Golf season finale.
| FedEx Cup Position | Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1st | $25 million |
| 2nd | $12.5 million |
| 3rd | $7.5 million |
| 4th | $6 million |
| 5th | $5 million |
| 6th | $3.5 million |
| 7th | $2.75 million |
| 8th | $2.25 million |
| 9th | $2 million |
| 10th | $1.75 million |
Who has won the Tour Championship?
Here are the last 10 winners of the Tour Championship.
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner(s) up |
| 2023 | Viktor Hovland | -27 | Xander Schauffele |
| 2022 | Rory McIlroy | -21 | Scottie Scheffler and Im Sung-jae |
| 2021 | Patrick Cantlay | -21 | Jon Rahm |
| 2020 | Dustin Johnson | -21 | Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas |
| 2019 | Rory McIlroy | -18 | Xander Schauffele |
| 2018 | Tiger Woods | -11 | Billy Horschel |
| 2017 | Xander Schauffele | -12 | Justin Thomas |
| 2016 | Rory McIlroy | -12 | Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell |
| 2015 | Jordan Spieth | -9 | Danny Lee, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson |
| 2014 | Billy Horschel | -11 | Jim Furyk and Rory McIlroy |
How to watch the Tour Championship?
Viewers in the UK can watch the tournament on Sky Sports Golf.
Thursday, August 29: Sky Sports Golf, 18.30
Friday, August 30: Sky Sports Golf, 18.30
Saturday, August 31: Sky Sports Golf, 17.30
Sunday, September 1: Sky Sports Golf, 17.00
Viewers in the US can watch all four days of action via the Golf Channel.
Thursday, August 29: Golf Channel, 13.00
Friday, August 30: Golf Channel, 13.00
Saturday, August 31: Golf Channel, 13.00
Sunday, September 1: Golf Channel, 12.00
The Tour Championship: Tee times and pairings
Tee times and pairings for the Tour Championship can be found here.
About the Author
Ross Kilvington – Contributing Golf News Writer
Ross Kilvington is a freelance writer from Scotland who currently writes previews for Today’s Golfer, covering events on the DP World, PGA, and LPGA tours along with the LIV Golf Series.
Ross holds a passionate interest in golf and tries to play as often as possible, although having two daughters under the age of 6 means his quest to break 80 will have to wait a little longer.
Despite first picking up a club aged 11, highlights are few and far between on the golf course.
An Eagle on the par-4 16th at Kinghorn is one that stands out (it doesn’t matter that it was only 290 yards).
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30 players compete at East Lake for the season finale at the Tour Championship
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East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta hosts the PGA Tour Championship
