The First Look: First leg of FedExCup Playoffs kicks off at FedEx St. Jude Championship

The 2026 FedExCup Playoffs begin this week.

Sixty-nine of the top 70 golfers in the FedExCup Standings will tee it up at TPC Southwind, looking to get their run to the TOUR Championship started with a bang at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

We have seen some breakthrough victories, new stars ascending to new heights and proven winners continuing to show why they belong on top of golf’s mountain through 2026 – but it’s crunch time now.

The top 50 in the standings will advance to the second leg of the FedExCup Playoffs after this week, so while everyone is gunning for the trophy, there’s still plenty to play for in Memphis.

Here’s everything else you need to know.

FIELD NOTES: Rory McIlroy will tee it up at TPC Southwind after missing the event last year. McIlroy, who won the Masters in April and has four other top-10s so far this season, has not played since The Open Championship. This is the first time since 2021 that McIlroy will enter the first leg of the Playoffs outside the top 10 in the standings, but he remains in a strong position to win his fourth FedExCup title. He has recorded three top-5 finishes in eight starts at TPC Southwind. ... Scottie Scheffler, despite also winning just once so far this season, will enter the Playoffs at No. 1 in the standings. Scheffler, who won the FedExCup in 2024, finished runner-up in his last start at the 3M Open. Despite just one trophy on his resume this season, he has five runner-up results. ... Tommy Fleetwood returns to action as the defending FedExCup champion. Fleetwood won the TOUR Championship last year and enters the Playoffs at No. 9 in the standings. He’s had a consistent season, especially through the summer, where he has not finished outside the top 15 since he missed the cut at the PGA Championship. ... Justin Rose is set to defend his title after winning in a playoff last year. Rose, who is showing no signs of slowing down despite turning 46 this summer, won the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. Since this event became part of the FedExCup Playoffs in 2007, no one has successfully defended their title. ... All of the golfers who are inside the Top 70 in the FedExCup standings, save for Daniel Berger, will be teeing it up this week. ... Plenty of stars are looking to put an exclamation point on their seasons with Matt Fitzpatrick and Chris Gotterup (three wins), and Wyndham Clark and Cameron Young (two wins) eager to end their 2026 seasons with a bang. ... Ryan Fox returns to the PGA TOUR for the first time since winning his maiden major title at The Open Championship and returning home to New Zealand for a deserved celebration. Fox enters the Playoffs at No. 22 in the standings.

FEDEXCUP BUBBLE UPDATES: With his win at the Wyndham Championship, Michael Brennan earned his way into the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time. He was the lone golfer to jump inside the top 70 in the standings from the regular season finale, with Steven Fisk the unfortunate player to be bumped. Brennan started the week at No. 105 in the standings and needed to finish at least in a three-way tie for second in North Carolina. He did a little better than that. ... Jackson Koivun held onto the 70th and final spot. After his win at the 3M Open, Koivun matched Tiger Woods' record for the fewest number of starts (five) to earn a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs. ... Only the top 50 after this week in Memphis earn their way to the BMW Championship. Maverick McNealy currently holds the 50th spot, just 27 points ahead of Harris English at No. 51. Keith Mitchell sits at No. 49, just five points ahead of McNealy.

Other notables on the bubble include: Max Homa (No. 52), Sungjae Im (No. 53), and Jordan Spieth (No. 54).

FEDEXCUP THIS WEEK: The winner of the FedEx St. Jude Championship receives 750 FedExCup Points.

Points earned during the FedExCup Regular Season carry over to the first two Playoffs events.

The FedExCup Playoffs feature a progressive cut, with fields of 70 for the FedEx St. Jude Championship, 50 for the BMW Championship (Bellerive Country Club) and 30 for the TOUR Championship (East Lake Golf Club), where the FedExCup Champion will be determined.

There are no cuts in FedExCup Playoffs events.

The Playoffs finale, the TOUR Championship, will be played as a 72-hole stroke-play event, with all players starting the tournament at even par. The best performer over the course of four rounds at the TOUR Championship will win the FedExCup.

COURSE: TPC Southwind, par 70, 7,288 yards. The Ron Prichard design was established in 1988, with Hubert Green and Fuzzy Zoeller as player consultants. The course boasts numerous lakes, streams and ponds, and features the added charm of two grain silos and a windmill – remnants of a dairy farm formerly on site. In 2023, the course made a full conversion to Zeon zoysiagrass while some fairways were re-contoured after new internal drainage was added.

72-HOLE TOURNAMENT RECORD: 254, Dustin Johnson (2020 – TPC Boston)

• TPC SOUTHWIND RECORD: 263, Hideki Matsuyama (2024)

18-HOLE TOURNAMENT RECORD: 60, Dustin Johnson (Round 2, 2020 – TPC Boston)

• TPC SOUTHWIND RECORD: 61, Tom Lewis (Round 3, 2020), Bob Estes (First round, 2001), Jay Delsing (Round 4, 1993).

LAST TIME: Justin Rose defeated J.J. Spaun in a playoff after he rolled in an 11-foot birdie on the third extra frame and Spaun ended up missing his birdie try from just seven feet. Spaun made a near 30-foot birdie of his own on the second playoff hole to extend with Rose in tight. The pair both had tidy late-day rallies with Spaun making birdie on two of his final three holes Sunday – and lipping out from 30 feet to win in regulation – while Rose made four birdies in a row on Nos. 14-17 before he also missed a 13-foot birdie try on the 72nd hole. Scottie Scheffler finished one shot back of the playoff alongside overnight leader Tommy Fleetwood, who bogeyed the penultimate hole of the championship and then didn’t give himself a birdie opportunity on the par-4 18th to join the playoff.

How to follow (all times ET)

Special programming:

• "PGA TOUR LIVE Betcast Preview Show": Fans will get an early look at which marquee players will be grouped together across the first two rounds, with added insight into head-to-head odds and tournament matchup markets
  • Tuesday: 5-5:30 p.m. (ESPN App/YouTube)
• "Tee Sheet presented by FedEx": A fast-paced, 30-minute show featuring insightful discussion, player interviews and expert analysis as the panel debates key topics, breaks down the week’s biggest moments and helps viewers prepare for the FedEx St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship and TOUR Championship.
  • Tuesday: 6-6:30 p.m. (YouTube)
• "On The Range": Live look at TOUR players’ practice sessions with interviews and expert analysis
  • Wednesday: noon-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel)

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)

PGA TOUR LIVE on the ESPN App:

• Thursday-Friday: 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.

PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on the ESPN App and consists of four streams:

• Main feed (Stream 1): Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group (Stream 2): New "marquee group" showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups (Stream 3): Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Betcast Featured Hole (Stream 4): Coverage of one pivotal hole with live betting insights

PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: noon-6 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-6 p.m.