PGA TOUR’s positive momentum continues into an exciting FedExCup Playoffs

When Nick Dunlap holed a 6-foot par putt on the final hole of this year’s The American Express, his fist pump belied the significance of his historic accomplishment. He’d just become the first amateur in more than three decades to win on the PGA TOUR, an achievement that changed the course of his career.

In a matter of days, he went from a promising amateur – the only player other than Tiger Woods to win both the U.S. Junior and the U.S. Amateur – to a full-fledged PGA TOUR member with a schedule full of starts in the game’s most prestigious events.

He wasn’t the only player whose finish that week had huge ramifications, though. Christiaan Bezuidenhout’s second-place showing has resonated throughout his season, allowing him to enjoy the best year of his TOUR career.

The American Express got him into the final seven Signature Events of the year via the Aon Swing 5 and Aon Next 10. He arrives at this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three FedExCup Playoffs events, ranked 22nd in the season-long standings. It’s an improvement of more than 80 spots over last season. His first berth in the TOUR Championship, and the Presidents Cup, are in sight for the South African.

“I was a guy that benefitted a lot out of (the Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5),” said Bezuidenhout, whose five top-25s in Signature Events were highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. “Obviously got off to a strong start at the beginning of the year with my runner-up finish at The American Express, and that put me into a great position to play my way into all the Signature Events for the rest of the year.”

“It was nice to see that the system that the PGA TOUR put in place for the Aon 5 and the Next 10 worked. Luckily I benefitted out of that, and it's been a strong season so far.”

Dunlap won again at this year’s Barracuda Championship, becoming the first player to win PGA TOUR events as an amateur and professional in the same season. He’s one of five players with multiple wins in 2024. That group, of course, is led by Scottie Scheffler and his historic performance in 2024. His six PGA TOUR victories include THE PLAYERS, where he became the first player to successfully defend that title, and his second Masters victory. He also won the Olympic gold medal with a thrilling 62 two weeks ago.

Xander Schauffele won his long-awaited first major at the PGA Championship in May, then quickly added another major at The Open. Rory McIlroy is in the midst of his third consecutive multi-win season after a stirring victory alongside longtime friend Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and another win at the Wells Fargo Championship.

And Robert MacIntyre illustrated the strength of the TOUR’s alliance with the DP World Tour by authoring two of the year’s most emotional wins. The first came at the RBC Canadian Open, where his father, a self-described “grass cutter” back home in Oban, Scotland, was on the bag. Then MacIntyre roused the home fans with his birdie on the 72nd hole to win the Genesis Scottish Open, one year after McIlroy birdied the last two holes to beat him by one.

Scheffler, Schauffele and McIlroy represent an especially strong trio atop the FedExCup standings. Scheffler is looking for his first FedExCup after taking the lead into the TOUR Championship in each of the last two years. McIlroy already owns a record three FedExCups, while Schauffele is looking for his first after so much success at the TOUR Championship’s historic venue, East Lake Golf Club, which will unveil a classic look after undergoing a complete restoration in the past year.

“I really couldn’t be more excited about the season we’ve had,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said Wednesday from the media center at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Such exciting storylines were one reason for his optimism, as was the successful debut season of the TOUR’s new competitive framework.

The interplay between the new Signature and Full-Field Events performed as expected in 2024. The Signature Events provided a platform for the game’s stars to compete on some of the TOUR’s most recognizable venues. Those events were won by the likes of Scheffler, McIlroy, Wyndham Clark and Hideki Matsuyama.

The Full-Field Events, meanwhile, delivered the opportunity for PGA TOUR players to prove themselves and climb the ladder of the TOUR’s meritocracy. The Aon Swing 5 and Aon Next 10 translated success in those events into starts in the Signature Events, while also offering rewards like a two-year exemption and 500 FedExCup points.

Entering this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, 33 of the top 50 in the FedExCup were inside that threshold at the end of last year, as well. The 50 players who qualify for the BMW Championship and earn starts in next year’s Signature Events will be finalized at the end of this week. The fact that one-third of the top 50 played their way into that threshold illustrates that there is ample opportunity for players to prove themselves with good play.

That “churn rate” falls in line with the expected rate of change within the top 50 from year to year. The top 50 in the FedExCup at the end of each season qualify for all but one of the following year’s Signature Events, which offer larger purses and increased FedExCup points (The season-opening The Sentry is open to the top 30 in the FedExCup and all winners from the previous year).

Approximately 25% of the players in the top 125 of the current FedExCup standings were not in that position at the end of last year, as well. That also falls in line with TOUR projections. The fact that the 2025 PGA TOUR schedule, which was announced Wednesday, features few changes from this year is a reflection of the success of this season, Commissioner Monahan said.

That is one highlight among many during a transformative 2024 that also saw Strategic Sports Group’s $1.5 billion investment in the PGA TOUR and the creation of PGA TOUR Enterprises and the Player Equity Program. All of these things will allow the PGA TOUR to continue to innovate and grow, as will the Fan Forward Initiative that will allow the TOUR to pinpoint what fans love and deliver more of it to them. Thirty thousand fans have already responded to the survey. The Commissioner also said that conversations with the PIF “have been an important part of the journey that we’re on this year.”

“Engagement amongst our players, our partners, our fans, our investors is really, really high and really strong,” Commissioner Monahan said. “There's tremendous momentum.”

Now it carries into the most important stretch of the season.