Everything you should know about the 2022 FedEx Cup Playoffs

Diane Knox Balas

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Diane Knox Balas loves golf (she’s Scottish, so of course she does) but let’s just say she’s much better at analyzing golf than playing! The same cannot be said for her brother, Russell Knox, who’s a 2-time winner on the PGA Tour and fueled Diane’s initial passion for the sport. A seasoned TV and radio host, Diane has given out 8 outright winners since joining the Pickswise team in April 2022. Her general rule is she has to have three stand-out reasons for each pick and spends her time studying stats, playing form and little nuggets of information from golfers’ lives on Tour. Diane lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband Garrett, son Greyson and two English Bulldogs Bowser & Barkley. You can follow her antics on Twitter @KnoxyDiane and Instagram @dianeknoxbalas. For Diane Knox Balas media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.

@KnoxyDiane

PGA Tour event: FedEx St. Jude Championship

The top 125 players from the season-long FedExCup points list begin their playoff journey in Memphis. This is a regular, four-day tournament with a 36-hole cut, but the big difference this week is that the FedExCup points are quadrupled, so the eventual winner will walk away with 2,000 instead of the usual 500. That means we’re going to see a lot of movement in the standings as play progresses.

Check out Diane Knox Balas’ picks, predictions & best bets for the FedEx St Jude Championship.

PGA Tour event: BMW Championship

Next week, the top 70 players will tee it up at the BMW Championship, with the ultimate goal being to get into the top 30, who will compete at the Tour Championship for the FedExCup title. The purse for the Tour Championship is a whopping $75 million, with the winner taking home $18 million. And you thought the LIV Golf prize fund was big!

The bonus fund is shared amongst the top 150 players in the season-long standings, with the guys finishing from 101-125 getting an extra $120,000, and 126-150 cashing a check of $85,000. That’s why the number at the end of the Wyndham Championship really does matter.

It’s worth noting that the guys who finished within the top 125 have locked up full playing status on the PGA Tour for the 2022/23 season. Also, the golfers who make it all the way to the Tour Championship at East Lake, Atlanta automatically gain entry to the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the British Open, as well as all the WGCs and elevated status events. Plus, the guy who finishes in last place (30th) will receive a bonus of $500k. You could say the motivation to make it to the end is high!

PGA Tour event: Tour Championship

The Tour Championship is an interesting one, and if you’re not familiar with it from recent years, you may be a bit confused when the guys tee off on Thursday. After the BMW Championship, the points are wiped and the top 30 are given a starting “score”. For example, the player at the top of the FedExCup standings will tee off at East Lake with a score of -10; No. 2 will begin on -8, No. 3 on -7, No. 4 on -6, and No. 5 on -5. Those golfers sitting at No. 6 – No. 10 start with a score of -4, No. 11 to No. 15 on -3, No. 16 – No. 20 at -2, No. 21 – No. 25 on -1, and those at No. 26 – No. 30 begin at even par. Confused? I promise it all makes sense as soon as play gets underway!

You may think that the guy sitting at No. 1 has it easy and can’t be caught, but as we know, anything can happen out on the course. Plus, players know where they stand at all times in their quest for the winner’s check of $18 million.

So there you have it, the FedExCup Playoff structure. We’re in for a big few weeks of golf, that’s for sure, and I’ll be here every week to give you my preview and top picks.

Pickswise is the home of free expert Golf picks and Golf predictions. Our PGA expert picks go live every Monday or Tuesday, so check out our latest golf picks, best bets and analysis for this week’s tournament now.