The TOUR Championship is the culmination of the 2015-16 PGA TOUR Season and the final event of the FedExCup Playoffs. The road to the TOUR Championship began with the top 125 players qualifying for The Barclays (won by Patrick Reed), followed by the top 100 players at the Deutsche Bank Championship (won by Rory McIlroy) and the top 70 players at the BMW Championship (won by Dustin Johnson). Each playoff event, including this week’s TOUR Championship, offers 2,000 FedExCup points to the winner.
Second-Round Leaderboard
Kevin Chappell 66-68-68—202 (-8)
Dustin Johnson 66-67-69—202 (-8)
Rory McIlroy 68-70-66—204 (-6)
Ryan Moore 70-68-66—204 (-6)
Hideki Matsuyama 66-71-68—205 (-5)
Jason Dufner 73-67-66—206 (-4)
Charl Schwartzel 74-67-66—207 (-3)
Paul Casey 68-70-69—203 (-3)
The top-five players in the FedExCup standings entering the TOUR Championship control their own destiny and will win the FedExCup title should they go on to victory at East Lake.
FEC Name Position FedExCup Projection
1 Dustin Johnson 1 1
2 Patrick Reed T20 3
3 Adam Scott T14 4
4 Jason Day WD 7
5 Paul Casey T7 6
A points reset took place following the BMW Championship giving all 30 players in the field at the TOUR Championship a mathematical chance to win the FedExCup.
Dustin Johnson, No. 1 FedExCup, Projected No. 1
Playing the TOUR Championship for the seventh time in his career, Dustin Johnson is tied for the lead with Kevin Chappell thru 54 holes at the season-ending TOUR Championship in search of his career-best fourth win of the 2015-16 season and his first FedExCup trophy. Johnson, who has finished 5th and T5 in his last two starts at East Lake Golf Club (2013, 2015) is No. 1 in the FedExCup standings after a win in his last previous start at the BMW Championship. His third-round 69 marks his eighth consecutive round on the 60s, the longest active streak of players remaining from this year’s FedExCup Playoffs.
With a victory at the TOUR Championship, Johnson would have four wins in FedExCup Playoffs events, the most of any player in FedExCup Playoffs history. He would match Tiger Woods and Jason Day for most top-5 finishes in Playoffs events (9) and would move to second all-time in top-10 finishes at Playoffs events
Most top-10s in FedExCup Playoffs history:
Name Top-10s
Jim Furyk 16
Dustin Johnson 14
Steve Stricker 13
Jason Day 12
Adam Scott 12
Sergio Garcia 11
This marks Johnson’s 8th career 54-hole lead/co-lead on the PGA TOUR, and second in consecutive starts. Here’s a look at his previous leads/co-leads after two rounds.
Dustin Johnson 54-hole leads on the PGA TOUR (72-hole events only)*
Tournament 54-hole status Final Round Finish
2016 TOUR Championship Tie w/ Chappell TBD TBD
2016 BMW Championship 2 over Casey 67 Won
2015 U.S. Open 4-way tie 70 T2
2014 Tournament of Champions Tie w/ Simpson/Spieth 73 T6
2013 WGC-HSBC Champions 5 over Poulter 66 Won (3 over Poulter)
2011 WGC-Cadillac Championship 2 over three players 71 2
2010 U.S. Open Championship 3 over McDowell 82 T8
2010 AT&T Pebble Beach Tie w/ Goydos 74 Won (1 over Duval/Holmes)
* Johnson was also the 54-hole leader at three events (2013 Tournament of Champions, 2011 Barclays, 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am) that were reduced to three rounds due to weather.
If he were to go on to victory, Johnson would be the first player to enter the TOUR Championship at No. 1 in the FedExCup standings and win the event since Tiger Woods in the first FedExCup Playoffs in 2007.
With three victories this season (U.S. Open, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, BMW Championship), Johnson is joined by Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and Russell Knox as one of the five players to capture multiple victories this season.
Johnson and Tiger Woods are the only players to win a major championship, World Golf Championships title and a FedExCup Playoffs event in the same season.
With his win at the BMW Championship, Johnson joined Rory McIlroy with the second-most wins on the PGA TOUR since 2008.
Most PGA TOUR victories since 2008:
Player Wins
Tiger Woods 18
Dustin Johnson 12
Rory McIlroy 12
Jason Day 10
Phil Mickelson 10
Johnson has recorded 14 top-10 finishes in 21 starts this season, the most of any player.
Johnson’s win at the U.S. Open extended his TOUR-leading active streak of winning at least one tournament in each of his first nine seasons on the PGA TOUR.
Dustin Johnson’s FedExCup Playoffs performance
Year Final Rank Began Playoffs Rk Barclays Deutsche Bank BMW TOUR Champ
2008 134 117 MC (134)
2009 14 15 T15 (20) T4 (10) T30 (11) 27 (14)
2010 5 11 T9 (6) T57 (16) 1 (2) T22 (5)
2011 4 19 1 (1) T42 (2) T65 (2) T23 (4)
2012 8 26 T3 (8) T4 (6) T6 (7) T10 (8)
2013 13 16 CUT (22) T27 (23) T62 (30) 5 (13)
2014 30 6 DNP (14) DNP (22) DNP (30) DNP (30)
2015 7 7 T9 (6) T44 (8) T7 (7) T5 (7)
2016 2 T18 (3) T8 (3) 1 (1)
Scenarios for Dustin Johnson to win the FedExCup;
-
If he wins the TOUR Championship, he wins the FedExCup
-
Has a reasonable chance of winning with a top-5 finish
-
Can finish as low as 29th and still have a mathematical chance of winning
Kevin Chappell, No. 15 in FedExCup, Projected No. 2
Kevin Chappell’s opening bogey-free 4-under 66 was Thursday’s only bogey-free opening round. He extended the streak through his first 10 holes on Friday before recording his first bogey of the week at the par-3 11th. That bogey, on Friday, remains the only bogey of his first three rounds. Chappell shot a third-round 69 to hold a share of the lead heading into the final round of his first TOUR Championship.
Playing in his 167th PGA TOUR event, Chappell has twice previously held a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA TOUR at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Walt Disney World where he finished T3 and the 2015 Quicken Loans National where he finished T18.
Chappell has advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs for six consecutive years but this is his first appearance in the TOUR Championship. Although still looking for this maiden PGA TOUR victory, Chappell has come close to winning this season with four top-5 finishes this season. In addition to a T3 in his debut at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Chappell recorded three runner-up finishes this season (RSM Classic, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, THE PLAYERS Championship).
Should Chappell go on to win, he would join Chad Campbell (2003), Bart Bryant (2005), Bill Haas (2011) and Henrik Stenson (2013) as players to win the TOUR Championship in their first appearance (not including Tom Watson’s win at the first TOUR Championship in 1987). He would join Campbell as the only player to make the TOUR Championship their first career PGA TOUR victory.
Scenarios for Kevin Chappell to win the FedExCup;
-
Wins the TOUR Championship
And…
-
Dustin Johnson (#1) finishes 9th* or worse – currently T1
-
Patrick Reed (#2) finishes T4th* or worse – T20
-
Adam Scott (#3) finishes T3 or worse – T14
-
Jason Day (#4) finishes in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse – WD
-
Paul Casey (#5) finishes T2 or worse – T7
*Tie for FedExCup
Rory McIlroy, No. 6 in the FedExCup, Projected No. 5
No. 6 Rory McIlroy wins the FedExCup if he
• Wins the TOUR Championship (currently T3)
And…
• Dustin Johnson (#1) finishes T2 or worse (currently 1st)
• Can finish 2nd and still have a mathematical chance of winning the FedExCup depending on the winner of the TOUR Championship
It had been a tale of two 9s for Rory McIlroy through 36 holes at the TOUR Championship. Starting the third round, McIlroy was 12 shots better on the back nine this week playing the front nine in 5-over-par and the back nine at 7-under. That changed on Saturday with McIlroy hitting 17 of 18 greens to shoot a bogey-free third-round 66 (1-under-par on the front) and finish at 6-under-par, two strokes off the lead.
Although McIlroy was victorious on the European Tour this season, heading into the FedExCup Playoffs, his last PGA TOUR victory was the 2015 Wells Fargo Championship, and he entered this year’s FedExCup Playoffs at No. 36 in the standings. To begin the Playoffs, McIlroy had recorded six top-10 finishes in 11 starts on TOUR with top-five finishes at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play, Wells Fargo Championship and The Open Championship. After a T31 at The Barclays, McIlroy found his putting stroke and was able to follow an opening-round 71 with rounds of 67, 66 and 65 for a two-stroke win and his 12th PGA TOUR victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He began the final round six shots behind leader Paul Casey to win the Deutsche Bank Championship.
With the victory sandwiched between two finishes outside the top 30, McIlroy enters the Playoffs Finale at No. 6 in the standings. This is McIlroy’s fourth time qualifying for the TOUR Championship in the last five years, with his best finish (T2) coming in 2014.
Rory McIlroy’s 12 PGA TOUR titles:
2010 – Wells Fargo Championship
2011 – U.S. Open
2012 – The Honda Classic, PGA Championship, Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW Championship
2014 – The Open Championship, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship
2015 – World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play, Wells Fargo Championship
2016 – Deutsche Bank Championship
Five of McIlroy’s 11 stroke-play victories on the PGA TOUR have been in come-from-behind fashion.
Rory McIlroy FedExCup Playoffs history
Year Final Rank Began Playoffs Rk Barclays Deutsche Bank BMW TOUR Champ
2010 36 21 T56 (28) T37 (29) T37 (36)
2012 2 3 T24 (4) 1 (1) 1 (1) T10 (2)
2013 50 49 T19 (3) T47 (41) T59 (50)
2014 3 1 T22 (2) T5 (2) T8 (4) T2 (3)
2015 15 9 DNP (15) T29 (17) T4 (11) T16 (11)
2016 36 T31 (38) 1 (4) T42 (6)
Third-Round Leader Statistics
The third-round leader/co-leader has won 19 of 29 times at the TOUR Championship including each of the last three years. The largest come-from-behind victory in TOUR Championship history is five strokes (Camilo Villegas, 2008).
Additional Player Notes
Jason Dufner made a move up the leaderboard thanks to a 4-under 66 and is 4-under-par for the event. Having endured a two-year hiatus from the season finale, Dufner returns to the TOUR Championship in 2016 thanks to five top-10 finishes and his fourth career PGA TOUR victory. Dufner took a two-stroke lead into the final round of the CareerBuilder Challenge, but a final-round 70 opened the door for David Lingmerth, who forced a playoff after carding a bogey-free 65. Dufner made a 7-foot par putt on the first extra hole to stay alive, but once Lingmerth hit his approach in the water on the second extra hole, another par from Dufner was enough to secure the win.
Paul Casey (T7) is making his third appearance at the TOUR Championship, advancing to the season finale with two runner-up finishes, but without a victory, in each of those three seasons. This season, Casey was second at both the Deutsche Bank Championship and the BMW Championship. Last season, a T5 finish at the TOUR Championship followed playoff losses to James Hahn at the Northern Trust Open and Bubba Watson at the Travelers Championship. In 2010, Casey had runner-up finishes at the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play and BMW Championship before finishing T4 at the TOUR Championship.
Charl Schwartzel posted consecutive eagles during the third round of the TOUR Championship, at the par-5 6th hole and the par-4 7th. This is the first time in tournament history at East Lake that any player has recorded back-to-back eagles. Canadian Nick Taylor and Schwartzel are now the only players to score back-to-back eagles this season on the PGA TOUR. Taylor eagled the par-5 fifth hole at PGA WEST TPC Stadium Course during the second round of the CareerBuilder Challenge and immediately followed with a hole-in-one at No. 6.
Jason Day withdrew during the second round as a precautionary measure due to a back condition. Day’s management team released the following statement. – “Jason has a strained ligament in his lower right back with muscle spasm. He withdrew as a precautionary measure. Jason should be fine with some rest after a long break in the offseason.”
It is the second consecutive event in which Day has been forced to WD after also withdrawing during the final round of the BMW Championship. Day will receive last-place/unofficial money and no FedExCup points for the TOUR Championship
First Timers at the TOUR Championship
Seven players are making their first appearance at the TOUR Championship this week: Russell Knox, Emiliano Grillo, Justin Thomas, Kevin Chappell, Si Woo Kim, William McGirt and Jhonattan Vegas.
FedExCup Notes
Here’s a year-by-year look at FedExCup winners and their performance throughout the Playoffs in the years they won:
Year
|
FedExCup Champion
|
Barclays
|
Deutsche Bank
|
BMW
|
TOUR Ch.
|
2015
|
Jordan Spieth
|
MC
|
MC
|
T13
|
Won
|
2014
|
Billy Horschel
|
MC
|
T2
|
Won
|
Won
|
2013
|
Henrik Stenson
|
T43
|
Won
|
T33
|
Won
|
2012
|
Brandt Snedeker
|
2nd
|
6th
|
T37
|
Won
|
2011
|
Bill Haas
|
T24
|
T61
|
T16
|
Won
|
2010
|
Jim Furyk
|
DNP
|
T37
|
T15
|
Won
|
2009
|
Tiger Woods
|
T2
|
T11
|
Won
|
2nd
|
2008
|
Vijay Singh
|
Won
|
Won
|
T44
|
T22
|
2007
|
Tiger Woods
|
N/A
|
T2
|
Won
|
Won
|
Rookies and the FedExCup
Emiliano Grillo and Si Woo Kim are two of seven PGA TOUR rookies who have qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs. Grillo, at No. 9 in the FedExCup standings, and Kim (No. 18) are the only two who advanced to the TOUR Championship. Previously, in the history of the FedExCup Playoffs, no more than one rookie in a season has qualified for the TOUR Championship.
Miscellaneous Notes
This year, the front and back nine holes at East Lake have been reversed for the TOUR Championship, providing significantly more drama on the finishing holes from past years. The par-3 ninth hole (formerly the 18th) played to an average score of 2.989 (-.011) during round 3, marking the first time in TOUR Championship history that the hole played under par.
Scoring Averages for the par-70 East Lake Golf Club:
Thursday 35.933 34.967 70.900
Friday 35.276 34.897 70.172
Saturday 34.345 34.931 69.276 70.116
Bogey-free rounds:
R1 – Kevin Chappell (66)
R2 – None
R3 – Kevin Chappell (68), Rory McIlroy (66), Matt Kuchar (68)