Golf

Tour Championship 2023 format – how does it work?

Tour Championship 2023 format – how does it work?
Aug 28, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Rory McIlroy holds up the trophy on the 18th green after winning the TOUR Championship golf tournament. Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA - Photo by Icon Sport

The PGA Tour’s finale, the Tour Championship, is slated to begin Thursday morning at 11:26 a.m. ET at Eastlake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Tour Championship’s format is different from any other event on the PGA Tour’s schedule. Players start the tournament with different scores, which we’ll dive into later in this article, based on their FedEx Cup points throughout the 2022-2023 season.

It is the last and third event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and will feature a field of 30 players competing for the $18 million dollar top prize for first place. After the first two playoff tournaments, fields were cut down by 20 golfers each time.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will begin the tournament with the lead at 10-under par for the second-straight year. Last week’s winner at the BMW Championship, Viktor Hovland, enters the week in second place and trails the Texan by two strokes.

Rory McIlroy, the second-ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings, is the defending champion and will begin three shots behind Scheffler.

How does the Tour Championship format work?

The player with the lowest stroke total over 72 holes, when coupled with his FedExCup starting strokes, will be proclaimed FedExCup winner, receive an official PGA Tour victory, an $18 million bonus and a five-year exemption at the Tour Championship.

Who made the Tour Championship?

The following 30 golfers qualified. Their starting strokes are included.

PlacePlayerStarting score at the TC
1Scottie Scheffler10-under
2Viktor Hovland8-under
3Rory McIlroy7-under
4Jon Rahm6-under
5Lucas Glover5-under
6Max Homa4-under
7Patrick Cantlay4-under
8Brian Harman4-under
9Wyndham Clark4-under
10Matt Fitzpatrick4-under
11Tommy Fleetwood3-under
12Russell Henley3-under
13Keegan Bradley3-under
14Rickie Fowler3-under
15Xander Schauffele3-under
16Tom Kim2-under
17Sungjae Im2-under
18Tony Finau2-under
19Corey Conners2-under
20Si Woo Kim2-under
21Taylor Moore1-under
22Nick Taylor1-under
23Adam Schenk1-under
24Collin Morikawa1-under
25Jason Day1-under
26Sam BurnsEven
27Emiliano GrilloEven
28Tyrrell HattonEven
29Jordan SpiethEven
30Sepp StrakaEven

Past winners at East Lake

McIlroy has won three times in his past seven starts at the tournament.

YearWinnerTo ParWinning Margin
2022Rory McIlroy-21 (-10 start)1 Stroke
2021Patrick Cantlay-21 (-4 start)1 Stroke
2020Dustin Johnson-21 (-10 start)3 Strokes
2019Rory McIlroy-18 (-5 start)4 Strokes
2018Tiger Woods-112 Strokes
2017Xander Schauffele-121 Stroke
2016Rory McIlroy-12Playoff
2015Jordan Spieth-94 Strokes
2014Billy Horschel-113 Strokes
2013Henrik Stenson-133 Strokes
2012Brandt Snedeker-103 Strokes
2011Bill Haas-8Playoff
2010Jim Furyk-81 Stroke

Tour Championship payout

The total purse for the 2023 Tour Championship is $75 million.

PlacePrize Money
1$18,000,000
2$6,500,000
3$5,000,000
44,000,000
5$3,000,000
6$2,500,000
7$2,000,000
8$1,500,000
9$1,250,000
10$1,000,000
11$950,000
12$900,000
13$850,000
14$800,000
15$760,000
16$720,000
17$700,000
18$680,000
19$660,000
20$640,000
21$620,000
22$600,000
23$580,000
24$565,000
25$550,000
26$540,000
27$530,000
28$520,000
29$510,000
30$500,000

Odds to win the Tour Championship

The odds below are with starting strokes. Some sportsbooks offer the opportunity to bet on the winner without starting strokes.

Scottie Scheffler (-10): 7/5 (+140)
Rory McIlroy (-7): 33/10 (+330)
Viktor Hovland (-8): 5/1
Jon Rahm (-6): 8/1
Patrick Cantlay (-4): 16/1
Max Homa (-4): 28/1
Xander Schauffele (-3): 30/1
Matt Fitzpatrick (-4): 40/1
Lucas Glover (-5): 40/1
Wyndham Clark (-4): 45/1
Tommy Fleetwood (-3): 45/1
Brian Harman (-4): 45/1
Rickie Fowler (-3): 70/1
Russell Henley (-3): 75/1
Tom Kim (-2): 100/1
Sungjae Im (-2): 110/1
Tony Finau (-2): 130/1
Keegan Bradley (-3): 130/1
Corey Conners (-2): 130/1
Colin Morikawa (-1): 130/1
Tyrrell Hatton (E): 150/1
Si Woo Kim (-2): 180/1
Jordan Spieth (E): 180/1
Jason Day (-1): 250/1
Sam Burns (E): 300/1
Taylor Moore (-1): 40/1
Sepp Straka (E): 500/1
Emiliano Grillo (E): 500/1
Adam Schenk (-1): 500/1
Nick Taylor (-1): 800/1


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