30 one-liners: Learn how each player made his way to East Lake

An appearance in Atlanta to end the season is a coveted position among the PGA TOUR’s best. For some, it’s another expected stop on the way as they fight for the $18 million winner’s purse. For others, this week begins a career-changing venture as they join the PGA TOUR’s elite for the first time. Regardless, they all have one thing in common: the chance to hoist the FedExCup trophy on Sunday, although the task is far more difficult for some.

Under the TOUR Championship’s unique Starting Strokes format, FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler will tee off Thursday at 10 under. Viktor Hovland tees off with him at 8 under. The final players in the field will start at even par, and the deficit for the players in between will be determined by their FedExCup ranking.

Here’s a closer look at the 30 players who qualified for the TOUR Championship and how they made it to the final event of the FedExCup Playoffs

1. Scottie Scheffler: Arrives at East Lake as the first player to enter the TOUR Championship at No. 1 in the FedExCup in back-to-back seasons.

2. Viktor Hovland: Fresh off a win at the BMW Championship, he’s qualified for every TOUR Championship since becoming a PGA TOUR member in 2020.

3. Rory McIlroy: The three-time FedExCup champion comes in No. 3 in the standings, marking his highest starting position since the FedExCup Starting Strokes format was introduced in 2019.

4. Jon Rahm: The Spaniard has four wins this season for the first time in his career and is making his seventh consecutive TOUR Championship start, tying Tony Finau and Xander Schuaffele for the longest active streak.

5. Lucas Glover: Advancing to the TOUR Championship for the third time in his career and the first time since 2019, Glover won twice this season, including his first Playoffs win.

6. Max Homa: He’s won multiple times on TOUR for the second consecutive season.

7. Patrick Cantlay: The highest-ranked player in the FedExCup entering the TOUR Championship without a victory on TOUR this season, Cantlay makes his third straight start at East Lake and sixth overall.

8. Brian Harman: Making his second consecutive TOUR Championship appearance and third overall; captured his first major title and third career win at The 2023 Open Championship.

9. Wyndham Clark: Prior to this season, his career-best FedExCup finish was 64th in 2019; earned his second career TOUR victory and first major championship title at the U.S. Open.

10. Matt Fitzpatrick: Notched his second career TOUR victory at RBC Heritage; finished T2 at the BMW Championship for his first top-10 since the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

11. Tommy Fleetwood: Earned a career-best eight top-10 finishes this season, including runner-up at RBC Canadian Open; 2023 marks his first TOUR Championship appearance since 2019.

12. Russell Henley: Makes his third TOUR Championship appearance after earning his fourth TOUR victory (2023 World Wide Technology Championship) and first since 2017.

13. Keegan Bradley: Returns to the TOUR Championship for the first time since 2018 after winning multiple times on TOUR for the second season in his career.

14. Rickie Fowler: After snapping a winless drought of more than four years with his victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, this marks his seventh trip to TOUR Championship and first since 2019.

15. Xander Schauffele: Earned a career-high 10 top-10 finishes on the season, including runner-up at the Wells Fargo Championship, and is making his seventh consecutive appearance at East Lake.

16. Tom Kim: As the youngest player in the field, 2023 marks his first career TOUR Championship appearance.

17. Sungjae Im: Finished T2 in the FedExCup last season; earned nine top-10 finishes this season, tying his career high for the second consecutive season.

18. Tony Finau: This marks his seventh consecutive appearance at the TOUR Championship and second consecutive season with multiple wins on TOUR.

19. Corey Conners: Earned his second career TOUR title (Valero Texas Open) and first since 2019; making his third consecutive trip to the TOUR Championship and fourth overall.

20. Si Woo Kim: Captured his fourth career TOUR title at the Sony Open in Hawaii and will make first TOUR Championship appearance since 2016.

21. Taylor Moore: One of five TOUR Championship first-timers in the field, he secured his first career TOUR title at the Valspar Championship.

22. Nick Taylor: A first-timer in the field, he became the first Canadian since 1954 (Pat Fletcher) to win the RBC Canadian Open and rose to a career-high sixth in the FedExCup.

23. Adam Schenk: A T6 finish at the FedEx St. Jude Championship secured his first trip to the TOUR Championship, where he’s one of five first-timers in the field.

24. Collin Morikawa: Collected five top-10 finishes this season, including two runners-up at The Sentry and Rocket Mortgage Classic; making his fourth consecutive start at East Lake.

25. Jason Day: This marks his first appearance at the TOUR Championship since 2018; earned his first TOUR title since 2018 and secured eight top-10 finishes this season.

26. Sam Burns: After entering the BMW Championship on the FedExCup bubble at No. 30, he moved up four spots with a T15 finish; making his third consecutive TOUR Championship start.

27. Emiliano Grillo: This year’s Charles Schwab Challenge winner is making his second TOUR Championship appearance and first since 2016 (tying Si Woo Kim for the largest gap between appearances of players in the field).

28. Tyrrell Hatton: After recording a career best seven top-10 finishes during the season, Hatton advances to the TOUR Championship for the second time and first since 2020.

29. Jordan Spieth: This week marks Spieth’s eighth appearance in the TOUR Championship and his third straight after narrowly making the top-30 bubble.

30. Sepp Straka: The winner of this year’s John Deere Classic is making his second trip to the TOUR Championship following his debut in 2022, where he finished seventh.