PGA Tour makes huge changes to end of season prize money bonuses
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The PGA Tour slashed its FedEx Cup bonus by 60% in a bid to spread the wealth. Here’s what we know so far…
The PGA Tour FedEx Cup champion will no longer take home a bumper $25 million bonus.
According to a report from Front Office Sports, the last man standing at the end of the season will instead bank $10 million as the Tour looks to spread the prize pool and reward season-long form.
A total of $100 million in prize money will be paid out in three instalments – the first at the conclusion of the regular season after the Wyndham Championship, then one after the second of the three FedEx Cup Playoffs, the BMW Championship, and the the third after the Tour Championship.
After the Wyndham Championship, the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings will share a $20 million prize pot. with individual shares ranging from $10 million to $500,000.
Then, after the BMW Championship, $22.93 million will be split among the top 30, including $5 million to the player in first.
The final payout will follow the traditional season finale at East Lake, where $57 million will be handed out – $40 million split among the top 40, including $10 million to the FedEx Cup champion – then $17 million split among players ranked 31 to 150.
FedEx Cup bonus payouts
Here’s how each instalment will be split among the top 10 after each of the three Playoffs:
| POSITION | AFTER WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP | AFTER BMW CHAMPIONSHIP | AFTER TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP |
| 1st | $10,000,000 | $5,000,000 | $10,000,000 |
| 2nd | $4,000,000 | $3,500,000 | $5,000,000 |
| 3rd | $1,200,000 | $2,600,000 | $3,700,000 |
| 4th | $1,000,000 | $1,800,000 | $3,200,000 |
| 5th | $800,000 | $1,450,000 | $2,750,000 |
| 6th | $700,000 | $900,000 | $1,900,000 |
| 7th | $650,000 | $700,000 | $1,400,000 |
| 8th | $600,000 | $585,000 | $1,070,000 |
| 9th | $550,000 | $550,000 | $900,000 |
| 10th | $500,000 | $515,000 | $735,000 |
The first of the three Playoffs, the FedEx St Jude Championship, and the BMW Championship will still have their usual $20 million prize pots for the tournaments.
Of course, the system does still mean one player could walk away with $25 million in bonus prize money, should they top the season-long standings at the end of each of the Playoffs.
Front Office Sports is also reporting that there will be no change to the Comcast Business Tour Top 10, which pays out $40 million to the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings at the end of the regular season. The top prize for this is $8 million, meaning the player topping the standings after the Wyndham Championship will bank a cool $18 million in prize money.
The news comes just weeks after it was announced that the Tour Championship’s much-maligned “starting strokes” system is being scrapped.
There is a new format in the making, but with new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp only just in position, don’t expect that to be announced until the offseason at the earliest.
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The PGA Tour has made significant changes to the FedEx Cup bonus prize money pot.
