The PGA Tour season reaches the finish line this week, as the final 30 players in the FedEx Cup race head to East Lake Golf Club for the 2026 Tour Championship.
And unlike the much-maligned format that once gave players a head start based on their FedEx Cup position, there is no complicated math required.
Thirty players. Four rounds. Everyone starts at even par.
The player with the lowest 72-hole score will leave Atlanta with the 2026 FedEx Cup trophy as the Tour Championship winner. The intuitive format, introduced in 2025, returns for a second season.
There is also plenty of money at stake. The Tour Championship carries a massive $40 million purse, with $10 million going to the winner, $5 million to second, $3.705 million to third, $3.2 million to fourth, $2.75 million to fifth and so on. Last place (30th) is awarded $355k.
The Skinny
Tournament: The TOUR Championship
Dates: Aug 27-30, 2026
Where: Atlanta, GA
Course: East Lake Golf Club
Distance: Par 70, 7440 yards
Architect: Tom Bendelow (1908), Donald Ross (1913)
Redesign: Rees Jones (1994), Andrew Green (2024)
Format: 72-holes, NO CUT
Field Size: Top 30 in FEC Standings
Purse: $40 million
Winning Share: $10 million
2026 Champion: Tommy Fleetwood
How to Follow The TOUR Championship
The Tour Championship runs Thursday, Aug. 27 through Sunday, Aug. 30.
ESPN makes its first linear-TV appearance at the Tour Championship with coverage Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET, followed by Golf Channel.
CBS takes over the primary weekend windows.
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (ESPN), 1-6 p.m. (GOLF); Sat: 1-3 p.m. (GOLF), 3-7 p.m. (CBS); Sun: 12-1:30 p.m. (GOLF), 1:30-6 p.m. (CBS)
STREAM: Thu-Fri: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (ESPN+), 1-6 p.m. (GOLF App); Sat: 1-3 p.m. (GOLF App), 3-7 p.m. (CBS Sports App); Sun: 12-1:30 p.m. (GOLF App), 1:30-6 p.m. (CBS Sports App)
PGA TOUR LIVE: Thu-Fri: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat: 12:15-7 p.m.; Sun: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+)
PGA TOUR RADIO: Thu-Fri: 12-6 p.m.; Sat: 2-7 p.m.; Sun: 1-6 p.m. (SIRIUSXM)
LINKS: Leaderboard | Facebook | X/Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok
TOUR Championship History
The Tour Championship has been the FedExCup playoff finale since the first playoff in 2007, but the event has roots going back 20 years earlier. Always an elite event, prior to 2007, its field consisted exclusively of the top 30 money leaders of the past PGA Tour season and generally took place in the late fall.
The inaugural 1987 event was claimed by Tom Watson — two strokes clear of Chip Beck, the second member of the 59 Club.
Other champions in the pre FedExCup era included legends such as Curtis Strange, Tom Kite, Paul Azinger, David Duval, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
In 2007, the Tour Championship moved from November to mid-September, where it ended the then four-tournament FedEx Cup Playoffs. As in past years, 30 players qualified for the event, but the basis for qualification was no longer prize money. Instead, FedEx Cup points accumulated during the regular PGA Tour season and then during the three preceding playoff events determined the participants.
From 2019 onward, the FedExCup was reduced to three events, and the Tour Championship is now held in late August rather than mid-September. The tournament adopted a format called starting strokes in 2019, in order to ensure that the winner would also be the FedExCup champion. After much criticism, the format was shelved ahead of the 2025 finale and now plays as a traditional stroke-play championship.
Woods and McIlroy hold the tournament record with three wins — two coming in the FedExCup format, the most recent of which was in 2018. Mickelson is the only other player to have won more than one, with Tiger as the runner-up in both of Phil’s victories.
East Lake Golf Club has been the Tour Championship’s permanent venue since 2004, although the FedEx Cup is only a small part of the club’s story. Founded 100 years earlier in 1904, the Atlanta course is a Donald Ross design, famous for being the home course of the legendary Bobby Jones.
It is believed to be the site where Jones played his first and last rounds. The course also once hosted the Ryder Cup, the 1963 edition, with Arnold Palmer as the U.S. captain.
History: Recent Winners
Year-Winner-To Par (Margin)
2025 Tommy Fleetwood -18 (3)*
2024 Scottie Scheffler -30 (4)*
2023 Viktor Hovland -27 (5)*
2022 Rory McIlroy -21 (1)*
2021 Patrick Cantlay -21 (1)*
2020 Dustin Johnson -21 (3)*
2019 Rory McIlroy -18 (4)*
2018 Tiger Woods -11 (2)
2017 Xander Schauffele -12 (1)
2016 Rory McIlroy -12 (Playoff)
2015 Jordan Spieth -9 (4)
* Scheffler started -10 (Gross -20)
* Hovland started -8 (Gross -19)
* McIlroy started -4 (Gross -17)
* Cantlay started -10 (Gross -11)
* Johnson started -10 (Gross -11)
* McIlroy started -5 (Gross -13)
History: Wins
3 – Tiger Woods (1999, 2007, 2018)
3 – Rory McIlroy (2016, 2019, 2022)
2 – Phil Mickelson (2000, 2009)
5 Storylines to Follow
1. Scheffler Arrives No. 1 — Without an Advantage
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Scottie Scheffler arrives at East Lake atop the FedEx Cup standings.
For the fifth consecutive season, Scheffler enters the Tour Championship ranked No. 1 in the points race. But unlike under the old Starting Strokes system, that distinction won’t put a single shot on the scoreboard Thursday morning.
Scheffler starts at even par with everyone else.
The World No. 1 won The American Express earlier this season and opened the FedEx Cup Playoffs by routing the field at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, winning by eight shots. After a T12 at the BMW Championship, he retained the No. 1 position entering Atlanta, although it’s essentially meaningless other than the final tee time in the opening round.
Scheffler already owns one FedEx Cup title, winning in 2024, and enters this week as the clear betting favorite.
2. Clark Enters Red Hot
If anyone arrives with more momentum, it may be Wyndham Clark.
Clark won last week’s BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club for his third victory of the 2026 season, moving him to No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings.
He joins Matt Fitzpatrick and Chris Gotterup as the only three-time winners on the PGA Tour this season. Yet his wins, including a major and a playoff, are far more impressive.
The BMW victory also completed a postseason split through the opening two events: Scheffler dominated Memphis, while Clark took St. Louis.
Now both arrive in Atlanta with the same score.
3. Rory Gets Another Shot at East Lake
Then there is Rory McIlroy, who might welcome the format change more than anyone.
McIlroy enters just 11th in the FedEx Cup standings, but that ranking means nothing once play begins.
He has also enjoyed more success at East Lake than anyone in this week’s field.
McIlroy has won the Tour Championship three times — 2016, 2019 and 2022 — and another victory would give him a record fourth FedEx Cup championship.
McIlroy will have an immediate marquee matchup Thursday, playing alongside Xander Schauffele at 12:54 p.m. ET.
4. Fleetwood Returns as Defending Champion
A year ago, East Lake finally became the site of Tommy Fleetwood’s breakthrough.
After years of close calls, Fleetwood captured his first PGA Tour victory at the 2025 Tour Championship, finishing 18-under and beating Patrick Cantlay and Russell Henley by three shots.
He became the first player of the FedEx Cup era to make the Tour Championship his maiden PGA Tour victory. (golfshake.com)
Fleetwood returns ranked ninth in the standings and will play the opening round alongside Ludvig Aberg.
5. Fitzpatrick’s Resurgent Season
One of the less-discussed stories entering East Lake is Matt Fitzpatrick, who has quietly put together one of the best seasons of his career.
Fitzpatrick enters the finale No. 2 in FedEx Cup points after a three-win campaign that included the Valspar Championship, RBC Heritage and Zurich Classic alongside brother Alex Fitzpatrick.
The Fitzpatrick brothers will both be at East Lake, with Alex making his first Tour Championship appearance.
Matt gets the final pairing Thursday alongside Scheffler at 2 p.m.
The Tour Championship Field
FedEx Cup Top 10
1. Scottie Scheffler
2. Matt Fitzpatrick
3. Wyndham Clark
4. Cameron Young
5. Si Woo Kim
6. Chris Gotterup
7. Collin Morikawa
8. Sam Burns
9. Tommy Fleetwood
10. Ludvig Åberg
The Rest (11-30): Rory McIlroy (11), Xander Schauffele (12), Jacob Bridgeman (13), Russell Henley (14), Akshay Bhatia (15), Hideki Matsuyama (16), Ryan Gerard (17), Gary Woodland (18), Patrick Cantlay (19), Kristoffer Reitan (20), Min Woo Lee (21), JJ Spaun (22), Alex Smalley (23), Alex Fitzpatrick (24), Robert MacIntyre (25), Viktor Hovland (26), Justin Rose (27) and Adam Scott (28), Tom Kim (29), and Ryan Fox (30).
Six players will make their Tour Championship debuts: Alex Fitzpatrick, Kristoffer Reitan, Ryan Gerard, Min Woo Lee, Alex Smalley and Ryan Fox.
Top-10 Betting Favorites
1. Scottie Scheffler 3-1
2. Rory McIlroy 8-1
3. Xander Schauffele 11-1
4. Wyndham Clark 16-1
5. Colin Morikawa 18-1
5. Patrick Cantlay 18-1
5. Sam Burns 18-1
8. Cam Young 20-1
8. Ludvig Aberg 20-1
10. Chris Gotterup 22-1
10. Tommy Fleetwood 22-1
Thursday’s Marquee Pairings
The first-round pairings are based on top-30 FedEx Cup position, putting several heavyweight groups together late in the day.
12:54 p.m. — Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
1:12 p.m. — Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg
1:24 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns
1:36 p.m. — Si Woo Kim, Chris Gotterup
1:48 p.m. — Wyndham Clark, Cameron Young
2:00 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick
The Course: East Lake
The Tour Championship once again returns to historic East Lake Golf Club, the Atlanta home course most closely associated with Bobby Jones.
The current setup plays to approximately 7,440 yards and a par 70, following the Andrew Green restoration that debuted for the Tour Championship in 2024.
East Lake has produced an impressive collection of champions over the years, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay and defending champion Tommy Fleetwood.
Hole of the Week
No. 15, East Lake Golf Club
Par 3, 211 yards
Considered one of the oldest “isthmus” par 3s (not an island, but close to being one) in the country, the 15th hole at East Lake should once again provide all kinds of action this week. A super-flat green is surrounded by the golf course’s iconic lake, which provides a natural setting for gusts of wind to create havoc at most any time.
“The 15th hole will really be a gut-checking hole, as Justin Rose refers to some of the holes at East Lake,” Rees Jones said in 2016. “They will have to fight through 14 and 15 and then push the pedal down on the last three holes.”
The club’s signature hole has historically played well over par and has ruined many good rounds down the stretch.
