15 oddly fascinating statistics about the FedEx Cup Playoffs

This is the 18th year of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, long enough that a generation of tour pros have no memory of a PGA Tour season that didn’t end with this postseason dash. Traditions take time to develop, but the playoffs are starting to accumulate that time. And they’re also accumulating a lot of interesting statistics along the way. We’ve culled some of the most notable numbers to help flesh out the history of the playoffs and offer a glimpse at what to expect over the course of the next three weeks.

67,366,682

Money that Rory McIlroy has earned, in tournament prize payouts and FedEx Cup bonuses, in his career. He ranks No. 1 among all FedEx Cup money earners, having passed Tiger Woods five years ago when the Northern Irishman won his second of three career FedEx Cup title.

MORE: How the FedEx Cup Playoffs work

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0

Tour pros who have qualified for the FedEx Cup Playoffs all 18 years. Matt Kuchar was the last holdout, making it the first 17 years, and tried his hardest at the Wyndham Championship last week to see if he could jump into the top 70 on the points list to extend the streak. But he finished T-12, oddly being the lone player to wrap up his final hole on Monday.

There were six players who qualified for the first 15 years, but Charley Hoffman, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson all missed out in 2022.

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3

Tour pros who have been the No. 1 seed entering the FedEx Cup Playoffs and who have gone on to win the FedEx Cup title. Tiger Woods did it in 2007 and 2009. Jordan Spieth is the last to accomplish the feat during the 2015 season.

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5

Number of times Tiger Woods has been the No. 1 seed entering the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Beyond the two years he won the title (2007, 2009), he was the top-ranked player entering the playoffs in 2008 (finished 70th as he didn’t play due to injury), 2012 (third) and 2013 (second).

MORE: Everybody who has qualified for the 2024 FedEx Cup Playoffs

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69th

Farthest back any tour pro has been on the FedEx Cup points list to start the playoffs only to win the title. Billy Horschel began well down the standings in 2014 and fell to 82nd after missing the cut in the first playoff event. He then finished T-2/win/win to close out the postseason and become the longest longshot champion in FedEx Cup history. In 15 years, only three times has a player outside the top 15 on the points list entering the playoffs gone on to win (Horschel; Snedeker, 19th in 2012; and McIlroy, 36th in 2016).

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116

The biggest jump in spots any tour pro has made in the FedEx Cup standings during the playoffs. Heath Slocum started 124th on the points list in 2009, then won the first playoff event, which jumped him to third. He eventually finished eighth. Changes in how points are given out in the playoffs and a reduction from four to three events mostly prohibit such a move from happening again. Four other players have made jumps of 80 places or more: Tim Herron, 80, 2008; Martin Laird, 84, 2010; Morgan Hoffmann, 98, 2014; Sean O’Hair, 81, 2016.

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5

Number of times Camilo Villegas has “played” his way into the next FedEx Cup tournament (starting outside a point total to qualify for the next event and then playing well enough to finish inside). This is the most of any tour pro in FedEx Cup history. Three other players have done it four times (Marc Leishman, Andres Romero and Ernie Els).

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5

No. 1 seeds entering the Tour Championship who went on to win the FedEx Cup title.

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2

No. 1 seeds entering the Tour Championship who went on to win the title since 2010. In 2021, Patrick Cantlay became the second to do it in more than a decade, aided in part by the new staggered-start structure that put him at 10 under par before hitting a shot at East Lake. Dustin Johnson preceded Cantlay in securing the FEC title as the top player entering the final event in 2020 (also aided by the staggered start). Prior to Cantlay and DJ, the feat was only accomplished in the first three years of the playoffs, Woods doing it in 2007 and 2009, and Vijay Singh in 2008.

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13

Most seasons any one golfer has advanced to the Tour Championship. Dustin Johnson played at East Lake every year from 2009-2021.

MORE: The top 10 all-time FedEx Cup money earners

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6

Number of FedEx Cup Playoff event wins for Johnson, the most of any golfer. McIlroy was the previous record holder with five, with Woods two back at four.

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11

Tour pros who have finished in the top 10 in every playoff event in a single season. Despite three FedEx Cup titles, Rory McIlroy hadn’t swept top-10s until last year with a T-3 at the FedEx St. Jude, a fourth at the BMW and fourth at the Tour Championship.

Here’s the list of those who had the top-10s. Note before 2019, there were four playoff events each season, including the Tour Championship:

Rory Sabbatini, 2007
Padraig Harrington, 2009
Dustin Johnson, 2012
Henrik Stenson, 2015
Adam Scott, 2016
Jon Rahm, 2017
Justin Rose, 2017
Jordan Spieth, 2017
Adam Scott, 2019
Dustin Johnson, 2020
Jon Rahm, 2020
Jon Rahm, 2021
Rory McIlroy, 2023

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13

Consecutive FedEx Cup Playoff starts in which Jon Rahm had recorded a top-15 finish, the longest streak of any player. The Spaniard's streak started with a T-11 showing at the 2018 Tour Championship and went through the end of the 2022 Tour Championship.

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15

PGA Tour rookies who have played their way into the Tour Championship since 2007. None made it in 2023. The best FedEx Cup finish from a rookie was Xander Schauffele, who was third in the final standings in 2017 after winning the Tour Championship.

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101

Number of times a player outside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup points list at the start of the playoffs has moved into the top 30 and qualified for the Tour Championship. Four golfers did this in 2023:

Jordan Spieth (31)
Sungjae Im (32)
Matt Fitspatrick (36)
Lucas Glover (49)