Wednesday 23 August 2017 14:01, UK
Who qualifies? How does it work? We answer some of the key questions about the FedExCup play-offs, which get underway this week with The Northern Trust.
What are they?
The play-offs are four events over a five-week stretch after the end of the regular PGA Tour season; The Northern Trust, Dell Technologies Championship, BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship. The aim is to determine who the season-long champion is on the PGA Tour.
Who qualifies?
The top 125 players in the FedEx standings at the end of the PGA Tour season are able to feature this week, with that then cut to 100 for next week's Dell Technologies Championship.
The field is even smaller for the BMW Championship, where only 70 feature, before the top-30 players are reseeded for the season-ending TOUR Championship in Atlanta.
How does the points system work?
Tour members earn points based on their results in all events they feature in, with an emphasis on those finishing higher up the leaderboard.
Each regular PGA Tour event is worth 500 FedExCup points, with 550 awarded to the winners of each of the World Golf Championships and 600 to those who claim a major title or win the Players Championship.
The points from the regular-season events are carried over the play-offs, where the number of points on offer quadruples to 2,000 for each of the four tournaments.
Who misses out?
USA Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk and former major winners Graeme McDowell and Vijay Singh all ended the regular season outside of the top 125, with Shane Lowry another noticeable name unable to qualify.
Bubba Watson and Jimmy Walker are in need of a strong week at Glen Oaks Club this week to break in to the top 100 and reach next week's event, while Byeong Hun An hovers just above the cut-off point in 96th position.
How do the standings currently look?
Hideki Matsuyama tops the table following three victories - including the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational - and a string of top-10 finishes during an impressive campaign.
Justin Thomas sits second ahead of Open champion Jordan Spieth, with world No 1 Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler completing the top five.
Henrik Stenson sits in 23rd place following his win at the Wyndham Championship, while last year's FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy lies in 44th position.
What's up for grabs?
The prize money is significant over the next four events, with a combined $35m on offer during the four tournaments and $1,575,000 for each winner.
The player with the most points after the TOUR Championship not only takes the FedExCup title, but also claims $10m of an additional $35m in prize money.
The runner-up takes $3m, with $2m handed to the player who finishes third and the rest being filtered down to the others who have featured over the four weeks.
Will we see a new FedExCup champion?
Tiger Woods is the only player to win the FedExCup on more than one occasion, following up his victory in the inaugural event in 2007 with another triumph two years later.
Rory McIlroy is the defending champion having won last year's Tour Championship, while Jordan Spieth and Henrik Stenson are the only other player in the world's top 10 to have previously claimed FedExCup victory.
How can I follow the action?
Watch all four tournaments live on Sky Sports Golf.
