Only 30 competitors remain in the FedEx Cup playoffs, as the PGA Tour closes out its 2017-18 season with the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
The current points system means that the player who wins the Tour Championship isn’t necessarily the one who will get the $10 million bonus that goes to the overall FedEx Cup winner. However, the top five players are guaranteed to win the overall title if they finish first in the Tour Championship, with more complex permutations possible should anyone else win at East Lake this weekend.
Tour Championship, FedEx Cup Races Both Wide Open
In theory, even the 30th ranked golfer – in this case, that would be Patton Kizzire – can take the overall crown if he wins the tournament, the No. 1 seeded Bryson DeChambeau finishes in last, and a lot of other things break just the right way.
That means a lot of following the standings for players and golf fans alike throughout the weekend, as there are essentially two separate competitions happening at the same time.
Among the favorites for both crowns is Dustin Johnson. He comes in with the No. 4 ranking in the FedEx Cup standings, meaning a win in the Tour Championship will also earn him the $10 million bonus. It would be a great way for the 34-year-old to cap what has been a solid but not entirely satisfactory season.
“I’d say it’s probably like a B, if I’m giving myself a grade,” Johnson said of his season during a pre-tournament press conference. “I feel like I should have won a lot more than I did, but I feel like I have a lot of room for improvement. I’ve still got two big events to play will in coming up, but this off-season I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Rose Seeks Year End No. 1 Ranking
Also in excellent position is Justin Rose. He has the No. 2 position in the FedEx Cup standings, but has managed to grab the top spot in the overall world ranking, just ahead of Johnson and Brooks Koepka. According to Rose, that gives him yet another goal to keep an eye on this weekend.
“I’d love to end the year No. 1,” he told reporters. “Literally, if I finish seventh this week and Brooks finishes sixth, he’ll go to No. 1, so it is that tight.”
Speaking of Koepka, ranked seventh in the FedEx Cup standings, he seems to be taking a little extra motivation from the fact that he wasn’t asked to meet with the media before the Tour Championship, an odd exclusion considering he has won two majors this season.
“[The media] has their guys they wanna talk to,” Koepka told Golfworld. “Come Sunday, I won’t forget it when everyone wants to talk to me because I just won. I don’t forget things.”
One person who wasn’t overlooked by the media was Tiger Woods. While Woods is unlikely to win the overall title – he comes into the Tour Championship ranked 20th in the FedEx Cup standings – just getting to East Lake was a huge accomplishment for him after missing most of the last two seasons with back injuries.
“To come back from where I’ve come back from and to get here has been a pretty tall order and something I’m proud of,” Woods said on Wednesday.
Given the small, strong field, there isn’t a clear betting favorite heading into the Tour Championship, but there is a group of six who have distanced themselves from the rest of the pack. At William Hill, Rory McIlroy (8/1), Rose (9/1) and Johnson (9/1) are virtual co-favorites, with Woods (11/1), Koepka (12/1) and Justin Thomas (12/1) right behind them.
