Tour Championship History: A New Era

It’s the only tournament that has a staggered start, so bettors see something different with golf betting markets.

On the eve of the 2022 Tour Championship, we look at its rich history and what’s on the line for the 30 golfers at East Lake Golf Club.

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Tour Championship History

The Tour Championship started in 1987 with Tom Watson winning the inaugural event for the top 30 golfers on the PGA Tour.

It was typically held in November and the likes of Tom Kite, Paul Azinger and David Duval won in the early stages.

Because it involves the best golfers on the tour, the prize money has always been significant. A $2 million purse was offered in 1987 and it was bumped up to $4 million when Duval won in 1997.

However, since it was included in the FedEx Cup post-1996, the prize money has increased to astronomical levels. The purse was $7 million when Tiger Woods won in 2007. Woods would win his third Tour Championship in 2018, where he took home a $1.6 million share.

The game changed when the FedEx Cup was introduced. In the early days, players were given points and you could win the Tour Championship but not win the FedEx Cup. It’s more transparent now, and the purse for the Tour Championship is added to the FedEx Cup winnings.

How Does it Work Now?

Instead of golf analysts trying to keep tabs on all the points, the Tour Championship was made much simpler in 2019.

The field is staggered depending on their FedEx Cup position, which makes it much easier to follow. The points leader starts at -10 and it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t shoot the best score of the tournament. If he’s ahead after 72 holes, he wins both the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup.

It makes it easy for the sportsbook to provide odds and bettors don’t have a headache.

Rory McIlroy won the 2019 event by four strokes after starting ahead of the pack. However, he also shot the best score overall.

Dustin Johnson and Patrick Cantlay, who won in 2020 and 2021, respectively, didn’t have the low score for the tournament. Xander Schauffele had the best score in 2020, but he couldn’t reel in Johnson, who won by three strokes.

Kevin Na and Jon Rahm had the best scores in 2021. Rahm was only one stroke behind Cantlay in what was an epic battle.

We love how the new format works and it favors consistency throughout the year. Players starting 10 shots behind still have a chance to win, and although the chances are slim, it’s relative to how they played throughout the year.

Golf odds typically reflect the starting positions but anything can happen in a four-round golf tournament.

If Scottie Scheffler wins from the front, he takes the honor for winning the most in a single season. He would win over $32 million, which is an insane number.

“I think I saw Scottie came in and did his interview yesterday and I’m sure he got asked about what was going on, and he’s had one of the best seasons of all time,” fellow golfer Justin Thomas told CBS Sports.

“I mean, the most money that’s ever been earned and winning the FedEx Cup by a mile, and I’m sure there weren’t as many questions about that as there should have been.”