After a year unlike any before it, just one event remains in the 2019-20 PGA Tour season — the Tour Championship. The annual event is held at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta and features just the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings, making it the strongest (but not deepest) field of the season.
In addition to the limited field, the event has other unique qualities as well. The purse is the largest on Tour, with a gaudy $15 million going to the winner, and the players start with handicapped scores. Yes, Tour players are effectively playing a net-score championship.
While it might be odd to see players stepping on the first tee with unequal footing, the handicap system is meant to reward players for their season-long performance in the FedEx Cup. In year’s past, the Tour Championship winner wasn’t necessarily the FedEx Cup champion, making for an awkward dual awards ceremony on the 18th green. This new system eliminates that possibility so that the final FedEx Cup standings are determined by every player’s finish in the year’s final event.
“As soon as the Tour Championship begins, any fan — no matter if they’ve followed the PGA Tour all season or are just tuning in for the final event — can immediately understand what’s going on and what’s at stake for every single player in the field,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said when the new format was unveiled. “And, of course, players will know exactly where they stand at all times while in play, which will ratchet up the drama, consequence and volatility of the competition down the stretch.”
Last year was the first with this new format, and although Justin Thomas held the lead at 10 under heading into the tournament, Rory McIlroy, who started at five under, caught him from behind to win.
10 under: Dustin Johnson
Eight under: Jon Rahm
Seven under: Justin Thomas
Six under: Webb Simpson
Five under: Collin Morikawa
Four under: Daniel Berger, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau, Sungjae Im, Hideki Matsuyama
Three under: Brendon Todd, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Xander Schauffele, Sebastian Munoz
Two under: Lanto Griffin, Scottie Scheffler, Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton, Tony Finau
One under: Kevin Kisner, Abraham Ancer, Ryan Palmer, Kevin Na, Marc Leishman
Even par: Cameron Smith, Viktor Hovland, Mac Hughes, Cameron Champ, Billy Horschel
