How the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs work: Locations, money, starting strokes

The regular season is over. It's time for the playoffs.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs consist of three events, capped off by the Tour Championship, where someone will walk off with a $15 million prize.

This year marks the 15th season of the playoffs. PGA Tour players battled through 50 events during the 2020-21 "super season" with only the top 125 in FedEx Cup points making the postseason.

Collin Morikawa – with his two wins, eight top-10s and 2,171 total FedEx Cup points – finished the season in the No. 1 spot. Morikawa also leads the PGA Tour's money list with $7,039,768.

Jordan Spieth is No. 2 in FedEx points, followed by Patrick Cantlay, Harris English and Jon Rahm, who is No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

First up: the Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club on August 19-22 in Jersey City, New Jersey. The top 125 in the field will duke it out for a spot in the top 70, and those golfers will move on to the BMW Championship on August 26-29 at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland. From there only the top 30 advance to the season-ending Tour Championship on Sept. 2-5 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. There is no cut at the BMW or the Tour Championship.

The winner of the Tour Championship is declared the FedEx Cup champion and takes home a first-place prize of $15 million in bonus money.

There is a total of $60 million in bonus money up for grabs at East Lake.

The PGA Tour will continue to utilize the FedEx Cup Starting Strokes, which was introduced for the first time in 2019. It's a staggered system whereby the golfer in the top position will start the Tour Championship at 10 under, the No. 2 golfer will start at 8 under and on from there. This system was established to give players at the top of the points list the reward of a starting advantage in the Tour Championship.

Dustin Johnson won the FedEx Cup a year ago. Only two golfers have won multiple FedEx Cup titles: Tiger Woods in 2007 and 2009, and Rory McIlroy in 2016 and 2019.

Starting strokes

No. 1: 10 under

No. 2: 8 under

No. 3: 7 under

No. 4: 6 under

No. 5: 5 under

Nos. 6-10: 4 under

Nos. 11-15: 3 under

Nos. 16-20: 2 under

Nos. 21-25: 1 under

Nos. 26-30: Even

Bonus money payout

1. $15,000,000

2. $5,000,000

3. $4,000,000

4. $3,000,000

5. $2,500,000

6. $1,900,000

7. $1,300,000

8. $1,100,000

9. $950,000

10. $830,000

11. $750,000

12. $705,000

13. $660,000

14. $620,000

15. $595,000

16. $570,000

17. $550,000

18. $535,000

19. $520,000

20. $505,000

21. $490,000

22. $478,000

23. $466,000

24. $456,000

25. $445,000

26. $435,000

27. $425,000

28. $415,000

29. $405,000

30. $395,000

Photo gallery: 2020 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club