PGA Tour Clarifies FedEx Cup Points List to Account for LIV Golf Players
The PGA Tour will move to a “soft’’ top 125 points list in order to determine qualifiers for the FedEx Cup points playoffs in the wake of several players being indefinitely suspended due to their participation in the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
The playoffs begin in two weeks at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational, where the top 125 in the regular season standings qualify.
In the past, the Tour has maintained a hard 125 list, meaning even if players within the top 125 did not participate due to injury, illness or simply electing to skip an event, no alternates moved into the field.
The Tour sent a memo to players on Tuesday outlining that there would be an alternate points list that removed the suspended players. Golf Channel first reported the change and SI.com/Morning Read also obtained a copy of the memo.
In the memo, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said the change was being made so that those who have been suspended “do not negatively impact other players’ tournament eligibility, positioning on the priority rankings or eligibility to compete in the FedEx Cup playoffs.’’
The original FedEx Cup points list will still exist to determine eligibility for the following season as well as bonuses paid through the program. The alternate list is avoid confusion as far as who will be eligible for the playoffs.
Eight players within the top 125 have been removed from the eligibility list due to their LIV participation: Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, Hudson Swafford, Matt Wolff, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Brooks Koepka and Pat Perez.
Dustin Johnson resigned his membership so was he no longer being listed. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, who have not resigned, are outside of the top 125.
For now, Webb Simpson, who is 125th in the official FedEx standings, will move up to 117th for the eligibility listing. And those standings will get another adjustment after this week’s LIV event in New Jersey, where Jason Kokrak, Charles Howell III and Paul Casey are making their LIV debuts.
The top 70 players following the FedEx St. Jude move on to the BMW Championship, with the top 30 from there going to the season-ending Tour Championship.
Those players who are removed from the list will still be eligible for their FedEx Cup bonus based on the final official standings.
The FedEx Cup will pay $18 million to the winner at the conclusion of the Tour Championship, with the 30th-place finisher getting $500,000. The bonuses go all the way through the top 150 with those finishing 101 to 125 getting $120,000 and those from 126 to 150 receiving $85,000.
Players in the top 30 receive a portion of the earnings in cash, with the rest deferred; while those from No. 31-150 receive all of the payment in deferred compensation.
“We have taken steps to ensure that at the conclusion of the FedEx Cup regular season and FedEx Cup playoffs, any suspended players will not negatively impact bonus money distributions to you,” the memo read. “You will be awarded bonus money based on your final position on the FedEx Cup playoffs and eligibility points list; suspended members will be awarded bonus money based on their final position on the official FedEx Cup points list.”