Im Sung-jae during a practice round ahead of the tournament. [AFP]
Im Sung-jae during a practice round ahead of the tournament. [AFP]

The FedEx Cup Playoffs, which will crown the PGA Tour's season champion, tee off Thursday.

The FedEx St. Jude Championship — the first of three playoff events, open to the top 70 players based on regular-season standings — begins a four-day run at TPC Southwind (par 70) in Memphis, Tennessee, with a purse of $20 million. The top 50 finishers advance to the second event, the BMW Championship, while only 30 players will earn a spot in the season-ending Tour Championship.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs represent the richest prize structure in professional sports, combining a $100 million bonus fund with $80 million in combined tournament purses across the three events. The first and second events each carry a $20 million purse, while the Tour Championship offers $40 million.

The maximum a single player can earn is $33 million. A player who leads the FedEx Cup standings after the BMW Championship and wins the Tour Championship collects a guaranteed bonus of $23 million plus the $10 million Tour Championship winner's check.

At the top of the field stands Scottie Scheffler of the United States, who leads both the world rankings and the FedEx Cup points standings. Scheffler dominated the regular season with his all-around game, high fairway-hit rate and precise iron play. In the playoffs, however, the elevated points on offer at each event mean a single poor result can dramatically shift the standings.

Scheffler said that as the season moves into its final stretch, excessive range work compounds both physical and mental fatigue, and that rest and energy management are his top priorities during the playoffs.

Rory McIlroy is mounting a strong challenge. A three-time FedEx Cup champion, McIlroy raises his game on the biggest stages, and he is using his booming driving and deep playoff experience to chase a fourth title and derail Scheffler's run.

McIlroy said the key is not individual results in the first two events but securing a top-30 finish to reach the Tour Championship, where he intends to make his move.

Three South Korean players — Kim Si-woo, Kim Ju-hyung and Im Sung-jae — will compete in the opening event. Kim Si-woo enters with the highest FedEx Cup ranking among the three, sitting seventh. He has no wins this season but made the cut in 20 of 21 events, recording two runner-up finishes and 10 top-10s for the most consistent record among his Korean peers. Well-positioned in the standings, he will look to lock up a Tour Championship berth with a steady performance this week.

Kim Ju-hyung, who won the Genesis Scottish Open in July, enters ranked 26th in the FedEx Cup standings. Riding his aggressive style and recent momentum, he is targeting a high finish in the playoffs. "My ball-striking and overall rhythm have been in very good shape lately," Kim said.

Im Sung-jae, ranked 53rd, faces a must-perform moment in the opening event. After struggling with injury early in the season, he needs a strong result this week to extend his streak of Tour Championship appearances to eight consecutive years. His immediate goal is to climb inside the top 50 to secure a spot in the BMW Championship.

"Climbing back inside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings after the early-season injury is no easy task," Im said. "But I've bounced back in tough moments many times before, so I'll trust myself and keep fighting to the end."


sports@heraldcorp.com