FedEx Cup: Top 10 Update Through April 30, 2017

Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Ten million dollars and PGA TOUR playing privileges – that’s the FedEx Cup bottom line – and here’s how things are stacking up for the top 10 in the FedEx Cup rankings.

The FedEx Cup came on the scene in 2007 for several reasons. Over the decade since, the FedEx Cup has become one of the biggest events in all of sports.

The PGA TOUR originally intended to use the FedEx Cup to define an end to each year’s golf calendar with a playoff much like other sports. The TOUR recognized that fan interest dwindled as the season ran into Fall.  Golf was competing against football and baseball’s World Series.

Since its inception 10 years ago changes have been made to streamline the FedEx Cup standings with exempt status for the next season, thus simplifying each player’s status on TOUR. Some anticipate that eventually FedEx Cup points will eclipse other indicators of TOUR standing. The FedEx Cup was designed to cure that problem. It worked.

Related Story: A New PGA TOUR Top-125 Rule?

This season players began accruing FedEx Cup points at the Safeway Open back in October and will continue accumulating them through the Wyndham Classic towards the end of August. After the Wyndam the top 125 point earners will begin a 4 tournament playoff that concludes at the Tour Championship played at EastLake Golf Club in Atlanta at the end of September.

The field is reduced each week with the top 30 playing in the Tour Championship for a $10 million first prize going to the overall winner of the cup. The way this is all set up, if any of the Top 5 players headed into Atlanta win that event then they also are the overall Champion. Depending on position when the playoff starts, players could be exempt all the way to the Tour Championship.

Through the Valero Texas Open, the top ten in FedEx Cup points players are:

More from PGA

1) Dustin Johnson 1903 points. 3 wins so far including two WGC events

2) Hideki Matsuyama 1822 points. 3 wins including WGC Champions

3) Justin Thomas 1793 points. 3 wins including back to back in Hawaii

4) Jon Rahm 1361 points. Winner of Farmers Insurance Open

5) Adam Hadwin 1201 points. Winner of Valspar Championship

6) Jordan Spieth 1104 pointsWinner of AT&T Invitational

7) Pat Perez 1096 points. Winner of OHC Classic

More from Pro Golf Now

8) Rickie Fowler 1069 points. Winner of Honda Classic

9) Justin Rose 980points. Finished second at the Masters.

10) Brendan Steele 964 points. Winner of Safeway Open

Points are awarded at each event depending on each player’s finish and the strength of the field. Generally a win is worth around 500 points.

The list will change weekly and ProGolfNow will update our Top 10 list twice a month until the final field goes to EastLake at the end of September.  For the moment, Dustin Johnson is the man to catch. Will he be able to hold on to the top of the standings? We’ll have a better sense of his situation when he returns to competition at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Next: Top 20 US Open Triumphs

A spot in the Top 125 is highly coveted not only for a chance at the $10 million first prize but for playing privileges for next season. This year’s race is shaping up great.