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FedEx Cup Fall on PGA Tour: Rankings, new format, why it matters

nick gray, mississippi clarion-ledger
·5 min read

The Sanderson Farms Championship is the second event of the seven-tournament FedEx Cup Fall series, a new segment of the schedule designed to place more importance on fall events for players outside of last season's FedEx Cup top 50.

The Country Club of Jackson hosts this week's PGA Tour tournament once more, and the field includes European Ryder Cup rookie Ludvig Aberg along with many other recognizable names who are trying to maneuver for better standing heading into the new season in 2024.

Here's what you need to know about the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Fall series:

What is FedEx Cup Fall series?

It's the reshaped fall schedule of the PGA Tour designed to serve as a final chance to shake up the 2023 FedEx Cup standings.

The wraparound fall schedule leading into the next calendar year is no more. But the majority of those tournaments return as a part of the Fall series.

An explainer: While the 2023 FedEx Cup playoffs are over, the points standings carry over into the Fall series. The top 50 from the FedEx Cup playoffs are locked into every Signature Event in 2024, and those players aren't playing for FedEx Cup points during the fall. Those Signature Events include AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational early in the year.

After the seven Fall series events, the FedEx Cup standings will break down as follows:

Nos. 51 through 60: Earned invite into the first two Signature Event tournaments, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.

Nos. 51 through 125: Full status on the PGA Tour in 2024, with a chance to earn invitation to Signature Events.

Nos. 126 through 150: Conditional status on the PGA Tour.

Is this why there are few PGA Tour stars at Sanderson Farms Championship?

It's part of the reason. The Ryder Cup wrapping up just four days ago in Italy does not help.

The intrigue will lie outside the top 50 in another built-in advantage for those who do well during the previous season. Those top-50 players don't have to grind through the fall schedule to build up FedEx Cup points, unlike previous years. Some will play too.

In theory, playing in a field with fewer big-name players will give a player in the top 50 a chance to finish high up in the leaderboard. This week, players like Emiliano Grillo and Tom Hoge are only playing for trophies, money and OWGR points. Those two are among the five players who finished in the top 50 of the 2022-23 FedEx Cup standings playing at the Country Club of Jackson this week.

Justin Thomas is outside the top 70 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings. Why isn't he at Mississippi's PGA event?

For one, Thomas is among the 12 American players who played in the Ryder Cup in Italy last weekend. The emotional drain of such a weekend is why only Aberg, ranked 136th in the FedEx Cup Fall Series standings, is playing immediately after the match-play event.

Another point: Thomas won the 2022 PGA Championship, which allows him to keep his PGA Tour card for next season. Thomas' eligibility for the 2024 Signature Events, which includes the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational early in the year, is not secured, though. He can finish inside the top 70 at the end of the FedEx Cup Fall series to secure spots in those tournaments. But to play in the 2024 season-opening tournament, the Sentry, Thomas will need to win one of the tournaments in the Fall Series.

When did the FedEx Cup Fall series begin?

This is the first season of the FedEx Cup Fall series. The series began on Sept. 15, with the Fortinet Championship won by Max Homa.

Which PGA Tour season is FedEx Cup Fall part of: 2022-23 or 2024?

Neither, really. The point totals for the players outside of the top 50 from the 2022-23 season remains active for the FedEx Cup Fall, and players can add to those totals over the next two months to earn playing opportunities in the 2024 season.

Think of the FedEx Cup Fall as a very lucrative qualifying series for next season. No FedEx Cup points roll over to next year's total, but a good fall could set a player up for a big 2024 season with plenty of scheduling options available.

Do tournament winners in the FedEx Cup Fall get the same perks as other PGA Tour events?

Yes. For example, this weekend's winner of the Sanderson Farms Championship gets 500 FedEx Cup points and invitations into the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The Players Championship, the PGA Championship and The Masters.

And at a tournament-record purse of $8.2 million, the prize money is comparable to other non-elevated events on the 2022-23 PGA Tour schedule.

What is the FedEx Cup Fall schedule?

Sept. 15-18: Fortinet Championship, Napa, California (won by Max Homa)

Oct. 5-8: Sanderson Farms Championship, Jackson, Mississippi

Oct. 12-15: Shiners Children's Open, Las Vegas, Nevada

Oct. 19-22: ZOZO Championship, Chiba, Japan

Nov. 2-5: World Wide Technology Championship, Los Cabos, Mexico

Nov. 9-12: Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Southampton, Bermuda

Nov. 16-19: The RSM Classic, St. Simons Island, Georgia

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: FedEx Cup Fall on PGA Tour: Standings, rankings, new format explained