Scottie Scheffler won the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup for the second time in three years, surpassing Tiger Woods for most PGA Tour career earnings with a total of $130m
Scottie Scheffler put any debate about the season’s standout performer to rest on Sunday, overcoming a three-shot deficit with a 4-under 66 to clinch the Tour Championship, secure a second FedEx Cup title and surpass Tiger Woods as the highest career earner in PGA Tour history.
Scheffler announced his charge with a 5-iron to within 2 inches of the cup on the 211-yard second hole. He drew level with Viktor Hovland courtesy of a 25-foot birdie on the fourth hole, moved ahead for the first time on the 13th and held firm to triumph at East Lake.
It was Scheffler’s third victory of the year – two of which came in the last three weeks during the PGA Tour’s postseason – matching Chris Gotterup, Matt Fitzpatrick and U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark for the most titles in 2026. He claimed his maiden FedEx Cup two years ago.
The Jack Nicklaus Award for PGA Tour player of the year is decided by a players’ vote. Scheffler has scooped the honour for the past four consecutive years – a fifth would see him equal Woods’ record for the most successive awards.
Topping the career earnings list was always a matter of when, not if. The $40 million purse at the Tour Championship now counts as official money, with Scheffler’s $10 million share pushing his career total to $130,390,661.
Woods, who never competed for a purse exceeding $10 million during his dominant years between 1997 and 2008, had held the career money record for nearly 26 years.
It offered a measure of redemption for Scheffler, who had previously lost in a playoff to Hovland at the Travelers Championship, one of five runner-up finishes he endured this year.
Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, couldn’t build on his brilliant 63 on Saturday and put himself out of contention with a nightmare start on Sunday which included bogeys on the first, fourth and fifth holes.
The Masters champion fought back and ended up under-par for his round with a closing birdie, to shoot a 69 and finish in a seven-way tie for fourth place, five shots behind Scheffler.
McIlroy pocketed $1,695,000 for his efforts in East Lake and will be back in action in a fortnight when he plays in the Amgem Irish Open at Doonbeg, Co Clare.
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