tour championship leaderboard without handicap

TOUR Championship leaderboard without starting strokes after two rounds

The TOUR Championship leaderboard infamously includes staggered starting strokes, but what does it look like after two rounds without the starting strokes?

By Cody Williams | Aug 26, 2023

We're set for some drama at East Lake Golf Club this week at the TOUR Championship on the weekend.

Collin Morikawa, who started nine strokes back of Scottie Scheffler in the starting strokes for the PGA Tour 's playoff finale, has gone gangbusters around the famed Atlanta property over the first two rounds to take a share of the lead into the final two rounds. He's not alone, though, as he has hefty competition from BMW Championship winner Viktor Hovland, who is tied atop the TOUR Championship leaderboard with his peer.

Right behind that duo at 16-under is Scheffler in third at 14-under with Keegan Bradley at 14-under and a group of heavy-hitters right behind them all.

Round 2 leaderboard @TOURChamp 🏌️‍♂️ 1. Viktor Hovland (-16) 1. Collin Morikawa 3. Scottie Scheffler (-14) 4. Keegan Bradley (-13) 5. Xander Schauffele (-12) 5. Jon Rahm 7. Rory McIlroy (-10) 8. Wyndham Clark (-9) 8. Tyrrell Hatton 8. Matt Fitzpatrick — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 25, 2023

But with the starting strokes in play, some golf fans want to know simply what the leaderboard would look like without the staggered start -- commonly referred to as the shadow leaderboard. So let's take a look at that going into the weekend to see which players are dominating the competition this week and which players are resting heavily on their starting strokes at the TOUR Championship.

TOUR Championship leaderboard without starting strokes entering weekend

• 1. Collin Morikawa (-15)
• 2. Keegan Bradley (-10)
• T3. Tyrrell Hatton (-9)
• T3. Xander Schauffele (-9)
• T5. Sam Burns (-8)
• T5. Viktor Hovland (-8)
• 7. Adam Schenk (-7)
• 8. Jon Rahm (-6)
• T9. Matt Fitzpatrick (-5)
• T9. Wyndham Clark (-5)
• T11. Russell Henley (-4)
• T11. Scottie Scheffler (-4)
• T13. Sepp Straka (-3)
• T13. Tom Ki m (-3)
• T13. Jason Day (-3)
• T13. Patrick Cantlay (-3)
• T13. Rory McIlroy (-3)
• T13. Max Homa (-3)
• T19. Brian Harman (-2)
• T19. Tony Finau (-2)
• T19. Nick Taylor (-2)
• 22. Lucas Glover (-1)
• 23. Jordan Spieth (E)
• T24. Rickie Fowler (+1)
• T24. Corey Conners (+1)
• T24. Tommy Fleetwood (+1)
• T27. Si Woo Kim (+2)
• T27. Sungjae Im (+2)
• 29. Emiliano Grillo (+5)
• 30. Taylor Moore (+6)

It's no surprise that Morikawa is running away with this thing on the shadow leaderboard at East Lake. As mentioned, he started nine strokes back at 1-under for the TOUR Championship and has climbed up to the top of the leaderboard over the first 36 holes of the tournament. A similar plight is true of Bradley, who started at 3-under and is now in the mix.

Having said that, with how hot those guys have started this week, you have to wonder if that's sustainable over the final 72 holes of the tourament with a monster $18 million payout going to the winner of the FedEx Cup.

We will soon find out, but it's looking like we could be in for a thriller to end the PGA Tour season.

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2022 TOUR Championship: Final Field and Starting Leaderboard

Defending FedExCup champion Cantlay wins BMW Championship; Scheffler claims No. 1 seed

ATLANTA – The field is set for the 2022 TOUR Championship with the top 30 players in the FedExCup Playoffs Eligibility Points List qualifying following the BMW Championship. Patrick Cantlay captured his eighth PGA TOUR title and second of the season with a one-stroke victory over Scott Stallings at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware.

Cantlay, who will look to become the first player to successfully defend his FedExCup title, will start the TOUR Championship as the No. 2 seed and will be paired in Thursday’s first round with standings leader Scottie Scheffler, who finished T3 at the BMW Championship to reclaim the top seed.

The FedExCup Playoffs conclude this week at the TOUR Championship, presented by Accenture, Coca-Cola and Southern Company, where the top 30 players will compete for the FedExCup title as the PGA TOUR’s season champion. The first and second rounds will be broadcast live on Golf Channel from historic East Lake Golf Club on Thursday, Aug. 25 and Friday, Aug. 26 from 1-6 p.m. The third round will be broadcast on Golf Channel from 1-2:30 p.m. and on NBC from 2:30-7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, with the final round slated for Sunday, Aug. 28 from 12-1:30 p.m. on Golf Channel and 1:30-6 p.m. on NBC.

Scheffler’s four PGA TOUR victories during the 2021-22 season are the most of any player as he looks to become the third consecutive No. 1 seed entering the TOUR Championship to lift the FedExCup.

Other Player Storylines:

• Xander Schauffele (No. 4), who will make his sixth consecutive TOUR Championship appearance this week, has finished no worse than T7 in five previous starts at East Lake Golf Club: 1/2017, T7/2018, 2/2019, T2/2020, T5/2021. At No. 4 in the FedExCup, this is Schauffele’s highest position entering the TOUR Championship in his career.
• In search of his first TOUR Championship berth since joining the PGA TOUR in 2011, Scott Stallings (No. 12) finished runner-up at the BMW Championship to secure his spot at East Lake. It was the three-time PGA TOUR winner’s first runner-up finish or better on TOUR since the 2015 Farmers Insurance Open.
• Two PGA TOUR rookies qualified for the TOUR Championship, with Cameron Young (No. 14) and Sahith Theegala (No. 28) earning their place among the top 30 without a win on TOUR this season.
• In total, 10 players will make their TOUR Championship debuts this week: Will Zalatoris (No. 3), Sepp Straka (No. 9), Scott Stallings (No. 12), Cameron Young (No. 14), Matt Fitzpatrick (No. 15), Max Homa (No. 16), Tom Hoge (No. 23), K.H. Lee (No. 26), J.T. Poston (No. 27) and Sahith Theegala (No. 28)
• Five former FedExCup Champions qualified for the TOUR Championship: Patrick Cantlay (No. 2), Rory McIlroy (No. 7), Justin Thomas (No. 13), Jordan Spieth (No. 18) and Billy Horschel (No. 22)
• 2016 and 2019 FedExCup Champion Rory McIlroy (No. 7) looks to become the first-ever three-time FedExCup Champion Hideki Matsuyama (No. 17) qualified for his ninth consecutive TOUR Championship, the longest active streak on TOUR
• Four players advanced to the TOUR Championship after beginning the BMW Championship outside of the top 30: Scott Stallings (No. 46 to No. 12), K.H. Lee (No. 33 to No. 26), Adam Scott (No. 45 to No. 29) and Aaron Wise (No. 31 to No. 31)

Final Field and Starting Leaderboard

Tickets to the TOUR Championship are available for purchase at TOURChampionship.com/tickets .

Fans are encouraged to follow the TOUR Championship on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram for tournament updates.

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PGA Tour Championship 2022: What the Final Leaderboard Would Look Like Without the Starting Strokes Format

The final 18 holes of the 2022 PGA Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club weren’t supposed to be this entertaining.

When the final round began, top seed Scottie Scheffler held a six-stroke lead after playing brilliant golf to close out his third round early Sunday morning.

But Rory McIlroy and Sungjae Im clearly didn’t get the memo that Scheffler was supposed to cruise to an $18 million payday. As the world No. 1 struggled to a 3-over round of 73, McIlroy and Im pounced.

While Im came close to the lead, he could never take it but shot a solid 66 to finish at 20-under for the week, tying Scheffler for second.

The first three-time #FedExCup Champion! 🏆🏆🏆 @McIlroyRory has won the @PlayoffFinale . pic.twitter.com/Sb5mlPPYL5 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 28, 2022

McIlroy also shot 66, which was all he needed to close the six-shot gap. Rory took the lead with a long birdie putt at the 15th and held on for a one-shot win, finishing at 21-under.

What the actual final leaderboard at the 2022 Tour Championship looks like

Here’s what the actual final leaderboard at the 2022 Tour Championship looked like.

• Rory McIlroy: -21
• Scottie Scheffler: -20
• Sungjae Im: -20
• Xander Schauffele: -18
• Max Homa: -17
• Justin Thomas: -17
• Sepp Straka: -16
• Patrick Cantlay: -16
• Tony Finau: -15
• Tom Hoge: -14
• Joaquin Niemann: -13
• Hideki Matsuyama: -13
• Jordan Spieth: -12
• Aaron Wise: -12
• Viktor Hovland: -11
• Matt Fitzpatrick: -11
• J.T. Poston: -11
• Jon Rahm: -11
• Cameron Young: -10
• Cameron Smith: -9
• Brian Harman: -8
• Billy Horschel: -8
• Collin Morikawa: -8
• Sam Burns: -7
• Adam Scott: -4
• Corey Conners: -3
• K.H. Lee: -1
• Sahith Theegala: +1
• Scott Stallings: +3

How it would look without the use of the starting strokes format

WOW! HUGE putt from @McIlroyRory to regain a share of the lead @PlayoffFinale . pic.twitter.com/PgnAcqpRtR — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 28, 2022

And here’s how the 2022 Tour Championship would have played out without using the starting strokes format. As you can see, the outcome is no different, at least at the top.

• Rory McIlroy: -17
• Sungjae Im: -16
• Max Homa: -15
• Justin Thomas: -14
• Tom Hoge: -13
• Xander Schauffele: -12
• Sepp Straka: -12
• Tony Finau: -11
• Joaquin Niemann: -11
• Hideki Matsuyama: -11
• Scottie Scheffler: -10
• Jordan Spieth: -10
• Viktor Hovland: -9
• Patrick Cantlay: -8
• Matt Fitzpatrick: -8
• Jon Rahm: -8
• Cameron Young: -7
• Brian Harman: -7
• Billy Horschel: -7
• Collin Morikawa: -7
• Cameron Smith: -5
• Sam Burns: -2
• Corey Conners: -2
• Scott Stallings: +6

Stats courtesy of  PGATour.com

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2023 Tour Championship format: Starting strokes, handicaps and cut rules

The 2023 Tour Championship format has been announced for the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup finale played at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, which is played Aug. 24-27.

The Tour Championship is the only PGA Tour stroke-play event that will use a handicap system. The Tour Championship field is comprised of 30 players, competing over 72 holes.

The top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings after the BMW Championship qualify for the event, and they're slotted with starting strokes based on their FedEx Cup ranking.

The top seed starts the tournament at 10 under par, with the No. 2 seed at 8 under par, and so on, all the way down to Nos. 26-30 starting at even par. This means the lowest-seeded players will have to overcome a 10-stroke disadvantage during four rounds of golf.

For the purposes of the Official World Golf Ranking, points are doled out based on how players score in the 72-hole tournament without starting strokes.

2023 Tour Championship starting strokes and handicaps

The player with the lowest total -- combining their starting strokes and on-course play -- after 72 holes wins both the tournament and the FedEx Cup. There is no cut in this tournament.

The format is designed to create an incentive for players to get into the season finale as highly ranked in the FedEx Cup as possible, while also making it straight-forward for fans to understand who is going to win the FedEx Cup without thinking about points and math.

In the event of a tie in points after 72 holes, the Tour Championship playoff format becomes a sudden-death stroke-play affair, with the player earning the fewest strokes on a playoff hole advancing or winning the tournament. The Tour Championship winner earns the FedEx Cup, the $18 million first-place prize, a five-year PGA Tour exemption and entry into all four major championships in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

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Who can win the FedEx Cup? Ranking all 30 players heading to the Tour Championship

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ATLANTA -- A memorable PGA Tour season filled with Tiger Woods' return and the emergence of rival LIV Golf Invitational Series comes to an end this week, when the Tour Championship starts Thursday at East Lake Golf Club.

There is plenty at stake for the 30 players who advanced to the season-ending championship, starting with an $18 million bonus to the winner. The second-place finisher will make $6.5 million, with $5 million going to third, $4 million to fourth and $3 million to fifth. The player who finishes 30th will earn $500,000.

There will once again be a starting strokes format, with world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler beginning the tournament with a 2-stroke advantage over everyone else in the field. That advantage has paid off in years past. Since the current format for the Tour Championship started in 2019, each of the three winners started the tournament at least 5-under par.

"Just the same as every other week, just go out there and try and do my best," Scheffler said, when asked how he would approach the unconventional format. "This is the only week of the year where you actually get strokes on the field, but I think I'll be best suited if I just ignore that and just go out there and play my game and do my best."

Here's a look at every player heading into the tournament, ranked from most likely to win to least:

Editor's note: Will Zalatoris was originally ranked No. 6 on this list, but withdrew from the Tour Championship on Tuesday morning. The remaining 29 players have been adjusted.

1. Scottie Scheffler (10 under) The only four-time winner on tour this season, Scheffler bounced back from a missed cut at the FedEx St. Jude Championship with a tie for third at the BMW Championship, which moved him back to the top spot in the points standings. He tied for 22nd in last season's Tour Championship.

2. Patrick Cantlay (8 under) The defending FedEx Cup champion is heating up at the right time again. On Sunday, he became the first player to defend a playoff victory at the BMW Championship. Last year, he had four straight rounds in the 60s to win by 1 stroke over Jon Rahm at East Lake. Cantlay would be the first back-to-back winner of the FedEx Cup.

It's over when the tongues come out 😂 pic.twitter.com/jtdM8WQmHg — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 22, 2022

3. Xander Schauffele (6 under) Schauffele has qualified for the Tour Championship every season since becoming a PGA Tour member in 2017. He has finished in the top five in the playoffs in four of his past five appearances. He's coming in hot with two victories and a tie for third in the BMW Championship in his past five starts.

4. Cameron Smith (4 under) The Australian skipped the BMW Championship because of lingering hip discomfort , according to his manager. That news came after Smith was penalized 2 strokes for playing his ball after an improper drop in Memphis, Tennessee. The Open Championship winner might be making his final start on the PGA Tour if reports about him joining rival LIV Golf are accurate.

5. Sam Burns (5 under) A three-time winner on tour this season, Burns, Cantlay and Justin Thomas are the only players to finish in the top 10 in the FedEx Cup points standings in 2021 and 2022. Burns wasn't great at East Lake last season, totaling 2-under over 72 holes.

6. Rory McIlroy (4 under) McIlroy didn't get the major championship victory he desperately wanted this season, but still had a stellar campaign. He finished in the top 10 in eight of his 13 starts on the PGA Tour, including each of the four majors. McIlroy will try to become the first player to win the FedEx Cup three times.

7. Justin Thomas (3 under) Despite winning the PGA Championship at Southern Hills to end a five-year drought without a major championship victory, JT probably didn't have the consistency he wanted this season. He had nine top-10s in 20 tour starts, but hasn't really been in contention since finishing third at the RBC Canadian Open in mid-June. He was fourth at the Tour Championship last season.

8. Jon Rahm (3 under) After starting the 2021 Tour Championship 4 shots behind Cantlay, the Spaniard nearly chased him down. Rahm played the final 54 holes with Cantlay there and finished 1 shot behind him in second place. He is coming off consecutive top-10s, tying for fifth in Memphis and eighth in Wilmington, Delaware.

9. Tony Finau (4 under) After posting back-to-back victories at the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic, Finau has played well in the playoffs. He tied for fifth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and 28th at the BMW Championship. He wrapped up an automatic spot on the U.S. team in next month's Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with Thomas, Burns, Schauffele, Scheffler and Cantlay.

10. Cameron Young (3 under) The favorite for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year , Young has been so-so in his first FedEx Cup Playoffs. He tied for 31st in the FedEx St. Jude Championship and 23rd at the BMW Championship.

11. Sungjae Im (4 under) The South Korean golfer is looking for his best FedEx Cup finish after coming in 12th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and tying for 15th at the BMW Championship. His best finish in the FedEx Cup was 11th in 2020.

12. Matt Fitzpatrick (3 under) Contending at East Lake would be icing on the cake for Fitzpatrick, who won his first major championship in the U.S. Open at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, in June. The normally soft-spoken Englishman took some digs at LIV Golf last week when he was asked about three former PGA Tour members not being allowed to participate in the playoffs. "Yeah, I think only three of them aren't here, it's not a massive loss in my opinion," Fitzpatrick said.

13. Scott Stallings (3 under) Stallings is making his first start in the Tour Championship after finishing solo second at the BMW Championship, finishing 1 stroke behind Cantlay. That finish landed the 37-year-old $1.62 million and a trip to Atlanta.

14. Max Homa (2 under) Homa is also making his first start in the Tour Championship. He entered the BMW Championship at 30th in the points standings and advanced by tying for 23rd in Wilmington.

15. Sepp Straka (4 under) The first Austrian-born player to win on the PGA Tour, Straka might still be smarting from his dramatic playoff loss to Zalatoris in the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He tied for 28th in the BMW Championship.

16. Jordan Spieth (2 under) Spieth admitted his game was rusty from a nearly monthlong layoff when he missed the cut in Memphis. He bounced back with a tie for 19th at the BMW Championship. Spieth might have finished even better if he had listened to caddie Michael Greller, who tried to talk him out of hitting a difficult shot on the fifth hole in the third round at Wilmington Country Club. Predictably, Spieth's ball went into the water and he made a double bogey.

A double bogey to drop out of the lead. Jordan Spieth and Michael Greller discuss the bunker shot that ultimately found the water on the 5th hole. pic.twitter.com/9qPs1eqkdG — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 20, 2022

17. Joaquin Niemann (2 under) Niemann, from Chile, claimed his second PGA Tour win with a wire-to-wire victory at The Genesis in February. He'll go into the Tour Championship on a nice run, too, after tying for 13th in Memphis and eighth in Wilmington.

18. Hideki Matsuyama (2 under) Injuries have derailed the second half of the season for the 2021 Masters champion, so a nice finish in Atlanta might give him some consolation. After pulling out of the 3M Open because of a wrist injury and the FedEx St. Jude Championship because of a neck problem, Matsuyama tied for 35th at the BMW Championship.

19. Viktor Hovland (2 under) Hovland tied for 35th last weekend and changed the life of a young caddie in the process. The BMW Championship benefits the Evans Scholars Foundation, which provides college scholarships to young caddies . Heading into the event, BMW offered a four-year $125,000 scholarship in the name of any player who landed a hole-in-one. Hovland did it on the par-3 sixth hole on Sunday.

20. Billy Horschel (1 under) A nice showing in Atlanta might go a long way in Horschel securing one of U.S. team captain Davis Love III's six choices for the Presidents Cup.

21. Brian Harman (1 under) Thanks to a tie for third in Memphis, Harman is back in the Tour Championship for the first time since 2017. The avid hunter will wrap his golf season up this weekend just in time for dove hunting season to start on Sept. 3.

22. Collin Morikawa (1 under) The two-time major champion's game has just seemed a little off for most of what has been a strange season for him. Further evidence: After tying for fifth in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, he tied for 44th in the BMW Championship. He shot 8-over 79 in the final round, after making a quintuple-bogey 10 on the par-5 12th hole. It was the worst score of his PGA Tour career, which includes more than 4,000 holes played, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

23. Adam Scott (Even) The Australian made an impressive par from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole at the BMW Championship to advance to Atlanta. It is his ninth appearance in the Tour Championship but his first since 2019. He made a seismic move from 77th to 29th in the standings by tying for fifth in each of the first two playoff tournaments.

Pure class 👏 @AdamScott plays his way into the @PlayoffFinale with a clutch sand save on 18. pic.twitter.com/YrLTQVOu8g — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 21, 2022

24. Sahith Theegala (Even) While Young has probably wrapped up rookie honors, Theegala could sway some voters if he does something magical at East Lake. He was the only other rookie to advance to Atlanta, after tying for 13th in Memphis and 15th in Wilmington. By finishing in the top 30 in points, Theegala earned a spot in each of the four majors, the Players, Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial in 2023.

25. Corey Conners (1 under) By advancing to Atlanta, Conners secured one of the International Team's automatic spots for the Presidents Cup. Conners, a Canadian, was joined by Im, Scott, Smith, Niemann, Matsuyama, Joohyung Kim and Mito Pereira as automatic qualifiers.

26. Aaron Wise (Even) Wise might have been the last player to make the 30-man field, but he has been playing sneaky good golf for a while. Wise had just five missed cuts and 10 top-25 finishes in 23 starts on tour this season. He is back at East Lake for the first time since his PGA Tour rookie season in 2018.

27. K.H. Lee (Even) Last year, Lee made a bogey on the 72nd hole of the BMW Championship and finished 31st in points, one spot out of the Tour Championship. He wasn't leaving it to chance in Wilmington, as he shot a 6-under 71 and tied for fifth.

28. J.T. Poston (Even) After tying for third at the RBC Heritage in mid-April, Poston was 120th in FedEx Cup points. He picked up his second PGA Tour victory at the John Deere Classic on July 3 and played well down the stretch to get into the top 30.

29. Tom Hoge (1 under) A first-time winner on tour at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Hoge's game has been out of sorts for much of the summer. After tying for ninth at the PGA Championship, he missed the cut in seven of eight events; he tied for fourth at the 3M Open in the other one.

TOUR Championship leaderboard without starting strokes after two rounds

We're set for some drama at East Lake Golf Club this week at the TOUR Championship on the weekend.

Collin Morikawa, who started nine strokes back of Scottie Scheffler in the starting strokes for the PGA Tour's playoff finale, has gone gangbusters around the famed Atlanta property over the first two rounds to take a share of the lead into the final two rounds. He's not alone, though, as he has hefty competition from BMW Championship winner Viktor Hovland, who is tied atop the TOUR Championship leaderboard with his peer.

Right behind that duo at 16-under is Scheffler in third at 14-under with Keegan Bradley at 14-under and a group of heavy-hitters right behind them all.

But with the starting strokes in play, some golf fans want to know simply what the leaderboard would look like without the staggered start -- commonly referred to as the shadow leaderboard. So let's take a look at that going into the weekend to see which players are dominating the competition this week and which players are resting heavily on their starting strokes at the TOUR Championship.

TOUR Championship leaderboard without starting strokes entering weekend

• 1. Collin Morikawa (-15)
• 2. Keegan Bradley (-10)
• T3. Tyrrell Hatton (-9)
• T3. Xander Schauffele (-9)
• T5. Sam Burns (-8)
• T5. Viktor Hovland (-8)
• 7. Adam Schenk (-7)
• 8. Jon Rahm (-6)
• T9. Matt Fitzpatrick (-5)
• T9. Wyndham Clark (-5)
• T11. Russell Henley (-4)
• T11. Scottie Scheffler (-4)
• T13. Sepp Straka (-3)
• T13. Tom Ki m (-3)
• T13. Jason Day (-3)
• T13. Patrick Cantlay (-3)
• T13. Rory McIlroy (-3)
• T13. Max Homa (-3)
• T19. Brian Harman (-2)
• T19. Tony Finau (-2)
• T19. Nick Taylor (-2)
• 22. Lucas Glover (-1)
• 23. Jordan Spieth (E)
• T24. Rickie Fowler (+1)
• T24. Corey Conners (+1)
• T24. Tommy Fleetwood (+1)
• T27. Si Woo Kim (+2)
• T27. Sungjae Im (+2)
• 29. Emiliano Grillo (+5)
• 30. Taylor Moore (+6)

It's no surprise that Morikawa is running away with this thing on the shadow leaderboard at East Lake. As mentioned, he started nine strokes back at 1-under for the TOUR Championship and has climbed up to the top of the leaderboard over the first 36 holes of the tournament. A similar plight is true of Bradley, who started at 3-under and is now in the mix.

Having said that, with how hot those guys have started this week, you have to wonder if that's sustainable over the final 72 holes of the tourament with a monster $18 million payout going to the winner of the FedEx Cup.

We will soon find out, but it's looking like we could be in for a thriller to end the PGA Tour season.

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Harbour Town Golf Links

With no staggered start, the Tour Championship leader board would be much tighter entering the final round

Xander Schauffele has the lowest cumulative score over three days at East Lake (11 under), but trails Dustin Johnson by five strokes heading into the final round.

Kevin C. Cox

ATLANTA — The leader board says that Dustin Johnson is leading the Tour Championship at 19 under after 54 holes at East Lake.

The scorecards tell a different story, though.

The lowest total number of strokes taken so far this week? That honor belongs to Xander Schauffele, whose rounds of 67-65-67 put him at 11 under on the par-70 layout, or two better than Johnson’s nine-under total over the first three days.

Of course, that’s not how the Tour Championship and, ultimately, the FedEx Cup is decided any longer. Beginning last season, the format of the season finale was changed to give the top players in the FedEx Cup standings a head start based on par depending on their standing in the season-long points race.

The result: Johnson, who topped the standings coming into the week following a win and runner-up finish in the first two playoff events (plus a tie for second at the PGA Championship), began the tournament at 10 under.

RELATED: DJ looks tough to beat at East Lake, and his chasers know it

Schauffele, meanwhile, came into the Tour Championship 14th in points, meaning he started the week at three under in the staggered scoring format.

The difference between Johnson and Schauffele isn’t the only one on the leader board, either.

Going strictly by strokes this week, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler would follow next, at seven under for the week, while Daniel Berger, Sungjae Im, Tyrrell Hatton and Abraham Ancer would all be tied for sixth at six under. It would make for quite the jam-packed leader board.

Instead, the adjusted leader board has Thomas tied for second with Schauffele, five back of DJ, while Jon Rahm is alone in fourth (six back), Morikawa in fifth (seven back) and Berger and Im tied for sixth (nine back), with Scheffler checking in at eighth (10 off the pace).

RELATED: DJ can’t possible lose and 3 other Day 3 takeaways

If any of this bothers Schauffele, who three years ago birdied the 72nd hole to become the first rookie to win the Tour Championship (while Thomas won the FedEx Cup), it doesn’t show.

“It’s the format,” Schauffele said on Sunday. “They changed the format so it’s even more clear for the viewing audience to understand it, and it’s even clearer for us looking at the board.

“That’s why those playoff events early are so important. You have to get yourself close. I’m not in a position where I can afford to have a bad round.”

Instead, he’ll need Johnson to have one if Schauffele has any hope of winning the tournament again and this time the FedEx Cup, too.

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How it works: TOUR Championship, FedExCup Starting Strokes, FedExCup bonuses

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 28: FedExCup signage is displayed during the final round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on August 28, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

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Here’s everything you need to know for the TOUR Championship, the grand finale of the FedExCup Playoffs where the winner will earn $18 million.

FedExCup Starting Strokes

The top 30 in the FedExCup standings following the BMW Championship will advance to the TOUR Championship, where the final leaderboard will represent the final FedExCup standings for the top 30 players. Stroke play will be used to determine the champion of the PGA TOUR’s season-long points race. To recognize players for their Regular Season performance, there will be a staggered start to the TOUR Championship utilizing FedExCup Starting Strokes.

The FedExCup leaders will begin the event with a head start on the competition. The player who finishes the four rounds at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club with the lowest score in relation to par will win the FedExCup.

“As soon as the TOUR Championship begins, any fan – no matter if they’ve followed the PGA TOUR all season or are just tuning in for the final event – can immediately understand what’s going on and what’s at stake for every single player in the field," PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said when the changes were announced in 2018. "And, of course, players will know exactly where they stand at all times while in play, which will ratchet up the drama, consequence and volatility of the competition down the stretch."

Here’s how the leaderboard will look like going into Round 1 at East Lake.

First place in the FedExCup is $18 million. The total bonus pool for the FedExCup Playoffs is $75 million. $18 million for first place, $6.5 million for second, $5 million for third, $4 million for fourth and $3 million for fifth.

The FedExCup bonus money is the only money given for a player’s finish at East Lake. There is no longer a purse for the TOUR Championship. FedExCup bonus money is not considered part of a player’s official earnings for the season.

The total bonus pool for the FedExCup Playoffs is $75 million, with the FedExCup Champion earning $18 million

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2023 Tour Championship leaderboard: Collin Morikawa rockets into three-way tie on top with career-best 61

Morikawa's incredible round pushed him into a tie with keegan bradley and viktor hovland ahead of scottie scheffler.

The first round of the 2023 Tour Championship had enough twists and turns that it already looks quite different than when it started. Three different golfers caught and surpassed a surprisingly mediocre Scottie Scheffler, and after building an early lead based on all his work leading up to the Tour Championship, Scheffler now finds himself down one going into Friday's second round of the 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs final.

Though the scores are close enough right now, it's still going to be extremely difficult for anyone to beat Scheffler on Sunday. Morikawa shot the best PGA Tour score of his career -- a 61 with an eagle -- and yet he's still just one up after 18 holes. What he did is completely unsustainable, and Scheffler is unlikely to lose two strokes to the field over the next three rounds.

Joining Morikawa (-10) on top are Keegan Bradley, who similarly impressed with a 63, and Viktor Hovland, who shot a 68. All three played bogey free golf as Scheffler made three bogeys and a triple on the day.

So, it's gotten a bit interesting for some of the presumed favorites. (We'll get to Rory McIlroy and his strange day in a moment). First, let's take at Thursday's first round for the leaders and what to expect the rest of the week.

T1. Viktor Hovland, Keegan Bradley Collin Morikawa (-10)

Morikawa made 11 threes the round after Viktor Hovland made 12 to win the BMW Championship last Sunday. Take that into consideration if you're wondering whether to be excited about the Ryder Cup in a month. The two now co-lead a tournament that will award $18 million to its winner. The two-time major champion led the field from tee to green and on approach shots and he was top seven in the field in every other category. That's ... probably going to get it done.

The question now is whether Morikawa can get it done in a PGA Tour event for the first time since the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. George's. He poke afterward about how -- even though his numbers this year have been good -- you don't win tournaments only by putting up good numbers.

"It's kind of surprising that my strokes gained is that good [this year]," said Morikawa. "It shows that I've been working on the right things. But it takes ... there's a skill that you just can't measure for winning. You ask the best winners in the history, there's a skill that you just can't tell someone how to win, you can't teach someone how to win, you got to learn how to win. It's still in there. I know it is. It's just having things go your way and being consistent like today, not giving away shots, not hitting the poor shot that might deter a round, not making a bogey or two here today."

Hovland is probably the guy to watch here given where he started (-8) and how much Morikawa (started seven back of Hovland) and Bradley (started five back of Hovland) must do over the course of 72 hole to remain in front. Last week's BMW Championship winner is in the driver's seat. 

One interesting sidebar here: Bradley is potentially playing for a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. He's been vocal and adamant about making that happen, and now he has a pretty compelling opportunity. 

Other contenders

4. Scottie Scheffler (-9) T5. Adam Schenk, Russell Henley (-8) T7. Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy (-7)

It was a strange round for Scheffler. It looked early like he might run away from the rest of the field as he -- at one point -- built a five-stroke lead. But late bogeys and a disastrous triple at the tough par-3 15th bumped him from that top spot. 

What's kind of incredible: Even though he lost 1.5 strokes by hitting it in the water on the 15th alone, he was still in the top half of the field from tee to green and last in putting. The next three days are going to be extremely interesting on the putting front.

If -- and this is a big if -- he can not look at the actual leaderboard with starting strokes and simply focus on recovering the shots he lost Thursday over the next 54 holes, it's fair to suspect he will still probably win the tournament come Sunday.

Struggling Rory

Golf Channel's Todd Lewis reported before the round that McIlroy injured his back earlier in the week and had not played a practice round leading into the day. He hit balls for a bit on the range, but the result was not pretty. McIlroy, who has won the FedEx Cup three times in his career -- including in 2022 -- then stepped to the first tee and touched over 180 miles per hour ball speed with driver so it didn't seem like a massive problem.

However, he was clearly bothered by it throughout the day, often stopping to stretch it out, wincing and letting go of the club more often than a dialed-in Hideki Matsuyama. The result was a disappointing (albeit somewhat miraculous) 70. All in all, this was not a terrible result for McIlroy, who at times looked like he could have shot 80. He stays at 7 under, remains three back and is playing a golf course he rules. If he can get his back into a place where it feels normal, he's still very much in the mix.

Rick Gehman and Kyle Porter break down the first round of the Tour Championship at East Lake. It's storylines, scorecards and betting favorites from the finale of the FedEx Cup. Follow & listen to The First Cut on  Apple Podcasts  and  Spotify .

2023 Tour Championship updated odds, picks

• Scottie Scheffler: 3-1
• Viktor Hovland: 7/2
• Collin Morikawa: 11/2
• Rory McIlroy: 13/2
• Jon Rahm: 12-1
• Keegan Bradley: 14-1

I would sprinkle on both Scheffler and Hovland here. They are your two most likely winners, even if it does not feel great after 18 holes of play. Both have good perspective on the arc of a tournament, and neither will be rattled by being caught (and in Scheffler's case, surpassed) by hot rounds from Morikawa or Bradley. I believe one of Scheffler or Hovland will win the Tour Championship.

Scheffler Rolling

He's already 3 under through six holes, six clear of everyone but Hovland (who he's five clear of) and probably en route to a victory. In other words, a show.

Rory McIlroy Struggling

McIlroy is having some apparent back issues early and did not play a hole this week at East Lake. He's +1 through two holes and now five back of Scheffler at the top. Also, Collin Morikawa is tied with him at -6. 

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Tour Championship: Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa share halfway lead in FedExCup season finale

Scottie Scheffler heads into the weekend two back and Keegan Bradley is three behind, with Jon Rahm sharing fourth spot with Xander Schauffele; Rory McIlroy is six back as he chases successive FedExCup titles; Watch the Tour Championship live on Saturday from 6pm on Sky Sports Golf

By Ali Stafford

Friday 25 August 2023 23:43, UK

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Viktor Hovland produced a back-nine birdie burst to share the halfway lead with Collin Morikawa at the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship.

Hovland, starting the week second in the standings after Sunday's stunning BMW Championship victory, made five birdies in a six-hole stretch on his way to a brilliant second-round 64 at East Lake Golf Club.

The Norweigan set the clubhouse target at 16 under, before Morikawa joined him by following his opening-round 61 by signing off a bogey-free 64 with back-to-back birdies to continue his blemish-free start to the tournament.

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-16 Viktor Hovland (Nor), Collin Morikawa (USA)

-14 Scottie Scheffler (USA)

Others: -13 Keegan Bradley (USA); -12 Jon Rahm (Esp), Xander Schauffele (USA); -10 Rory McIlroy (NIrl)

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Scheffler sits in third place after a bogey-free 65 and Keegan Bradley is in fourth spot on 14 under, while Xander Schauffele lies a further stroke back alongside Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy heads into the weekend six off the lead.

Stars continue to impress at East Lake

Scheffler - playing in the penultimate group - birdied the first to temporarily make it a four-way tie at the top, only for Morikawa edge back ahead after following his opening-round 61 by starting with a birdie.

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Hovland opened with three straight pars and holed from 10 feet at the fourth to match the birdie of Scheffler, with both players taking advantage of the par-five sixth to move to 12 under.

Morikawa also birdied the sixth and added another from 12 feet at the eighth to reach the turn one ahead of Scheffler, with Hovland a further shot back after failing to get up and down from off the green to save par at the seventh.

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Scheffler pulled level with a birdie at the 12th, where Hovland also picked up a shot to start his birdie burst, while Morikawa missed from inside four feet at the previous hole for the chance to restore his one-shot advantage.

Morikawa responded by birdieing the 12th to reclaim top spot, only for Hovland to convert from 10 feet at the 13th and match Scheffler's birdie at the next to make it a three-way tie at top on 14 under.

Hovland made a fourth straight birdie at the 15th and added another at the 17th to temporarily double his lead, before laying up at the par-five last and signing off with a par, as Morikawa followed a birdie at the 17th with a two-putt gain at the 18th to leave the pair tied at the top.

McIlroy: "I'm limited in what I can do"

McIlroy continued to be troubled by back spasms during his second round, but the defending champion - looking to become the first back-to-back winner of the FedExCup - built on his opening-round 70 by carding a three-under 67 on Friday.

"I'm limited in what I can do, but I'm here grinding away, battling away," McIlroy said. "So happy to be through 36 holes. I felt like I had a little more speed. I was probably half a club off my numbers than maybe a full club yesterday. But still it's just hard to get my right side through the ball.

"It actually feels better with the longer clubs because I'm more upright in my posture. When I sort of get down to the shorter stuff, trying to stay in my posture is a struggle."

McIlroy is set to return to Europe after the FedExCup Playoffs and play back-to-back DP World Tour events, starting at the Horizon Irish Open from September 7-10 before the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth a week later. The Ryder Cup then takes place in Italy from September 29-October 1.

"I would rather it [injury] pop up now than in three or four weeks' time," McIlroy added. "I've managed it well and I think I did well to get through yesterday. I've got through another day, so hopefully it feels a bit better over the weekend. Not great timing, but at the same time, it could be worse!"

Who can move ahead at the Tour Championship? Watch the PGA Tour's season finale and the race for the FedExCup throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Saturday from 6pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour and more for £26 a month for 12 months with NOW .

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