Three tournaments. Three weeks. And a field that shrinks from 70 to 30 before a single champion walks off East Lake with a five-year exemption. The 2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs Schedule marks the 20th edition of the PGA Tour’s postseason, and this year’s format keeps the progressive-cut structure that’s defined the playoffs for years — no 36-hole cuts, just a field that gets smaller after each event.
2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs Schedule
| Event | Dates | Venue | Location | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Aug. 13–16 | TPC Southwind | Memphis, Tennessee | Top 70 |
| BMW Championship | Aug. 20–23 | Bellerive Country Club | St. Louis, Missouri | Top 50 |
| Tour Championship | Aug. 27–30 | East Lake Golf Club | Atlanta, Georgia | Top 30 |
How the Format Works
Every event is 72 holes of stroke play with no cut, so once a player qualifies for a given week, they play all four rounds regardless of score. The top 70 players on the season-long FedExCup points list — set after the Wyndham Championship closes the 34-event regular season — advance to the St. Jude Championship. The top 50 after that event move on to the BMW Championship, and the top 30 after the BMW advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake, where the FedExCup champion gets decided.
What’s at Stake at Each Cutline
The stakes escalate at every stage. Finishing in the top 70 locks in top-100 status for next season, including exemptions into full-field events and The Players Championship. The top 50 get access to every Signature Event next season. The top 30 earn a two-year PGA Tour exemption plus traditional invitations to the Masters, and typically the U.S. Open and The Open Championship. The FedExCup champion themselves walks away with a five-year Tour exemption on top of everything else.
Points and Prize Money
Winners of the FedEx St. Jude Championship 2026 and the BMW Championship each collect 750 FedExCup points — the same total awarded for winning The Players Championship or a major. Regular full-field PGA Tour events award 500 points to the winner.
The money follows the same escalating structure. Both the St. Jude Championship and BMW Championship carry $20 million purses, with $3.6 million going to each individual winner. The Tour Championship 2026 East Lake purse sits at $40 million, with $10 million earmarked for the winner — a notable drop from the $100 million bonus pool the event carried before last year’s format change.
That bonus pool hasn’t disappeared entirely, though. A separate FedExCup bonus pool worth nearly $100 million gets paid out after the BMW Championship, based on where each player stands in points. The leader after the BMW collects $22 million, plus $1 million deferred. Second place earns $12 million, plus another $1 million deferred. Even players finishing 41st through 50th in the final standings still take home $50,000 in cash, with deferments exceeding $225,000.
How to Watch
ESPN carries live early-round coverage across all three events for the first time this year — 9–11 a.m. ET for the St. Jude Championship on August 13–14, 10 a.m.–noon ET for the BMW Championship on August 20–21, and 11 a.m.–1 p.m. ET for the Tour Championship on August 27–28. PGA Tour Live on the ESPN App adds more than 100 hours of multi-stream coverage across the three weeks, including featured groups and key-hole tracking. Weekend rounds typically shift to Golf Channel and CBS, with streaming also available on Paramount+ depending on the round and market — check local listings closer to each event for exact windows.
The Top of the 2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs Field
The top of the standings, current as of August 10, 2026, is headed by Jackson Koivun, followed by Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young, and Wyndham Clark rounding out the top five. Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood sits inside the top 10 as well, alongside major winners like Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Justin Rose scattered throughout the 70-player field.
Defending Champion and Recent History
Tommy Fleetwood claimed his first PGA Tour victory at last year’s Tour Championship, closing with a 2-under 68 to beat Russell Henley and Patrick Cantlay by three strokes and secure the FedExCup title along with it. He joins a list of champions that includes Scottie Scheffler (2024), Viktor Hovland (2023), and multiple past winners like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Jordan Spieth going back to the FedExCup’s 2007 debut.
FAQ
Q: When do the 2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs start and end?
A: The 2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs Schedule runs from August 13 through August 30, spanning three consecutive tournament weeks.
Q: Where is the 2026 Tour Championship being played?
A: The Tour Championship 2026 East Lake is set for August 27–30 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
Q: How many players make the FedEx Cup Playoffs field in 2026?
A: The FedEx Cup Playoffs 2026 field starts with the top 70 players from the season-long points list at the St. Jude Championship, narrowing to the top 50 for the BMW Championship and the top 30 for the Tour Championship.
Q: How much does the FedExCup champion win in 2026?
A: The Tour Championship winner earns $10 million from the event’s $40 million purse, and the overall FedExCup points leader after the BMW Championship can collect up to $22 million from the separate bonus pool, plus a five-year Tour exemption for winning the FedExCup itself.
