TOUR Championship 2015: Tee Times, Dates, TV Schedule and Prize Money
The 2015 FedEx Cup finale tees off Thursday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta as the top 29 golfers in the points standings compete in the TOUR Championship.
It's usually the top 30 in this tournament's exclusive field, but Jim Furyk has been forced to withdraw due to a wrist injury, the PGA Tour announced Tuesday. Golf Digest's Stephen Hennessey weighed in on the situation:
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There is indeed the possibility for one man to walk away from East Lake with two trophies and a handsome $11.4 million payday. The TOUR Championship's purse size hasn't changed from the other three playoff events, but a $10 million bonus awaits the FedEx Cup champion.
A player is not required to win this Sunday to take home the FedEx Cup title. That takes a considerable amount of pressure off new world No. 1 Jason Day, who has to be considered the favorite off a win at the BMW Championship.
Everyone has a mathematical chance to take home the top postseason prize. It's worth checking out the scenarios for every player at PGATour.com. Otherwise, read on for tee times, TV schedule and a general preview of the impending action in Atlanta.
| 11:40 a.m. | Louis Oosthuizen, Harris English |
| 11:50 a.m. | Kevin Na, Sangmoon Bae |
| 12 p.m. | Brooks Koepka, Bill Haas |
| 12:10 p.m. | Brandt Snedeker, Steven Bowditch |
| 12:20 p.m. | Matt Kuchar, Paul Casey |
| 12:30 p.m. | Danny Lee, Scott Piercy |
| 12:40 p.m. | J.B. Holmes, Kevin Kisner |
| 12:50 p.m. | Hideki Matsuyama (Jim Furyk withdrew) |
| 1 p.m. | Jimmy Walker, Robert Streb |
| 1:10 p.m. | Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose |
| 1:20 p.m. | Daniel Berger, Patrick Reed |
| 1:30 p.m. | Dustin Johnson, Charley Hoffman |
| 1:40 p.m. | Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson |
| 1:50 p.m. | Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson |
| 2 p.m. | Jason Day, Jordan Spieth |
When: Thursday, Sept. 24, through Sunday, Sept. 27
Where: East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia
Purse: $8.25 million (winning share: $1.485 million)
FedEx Cup Points: 2,000 to winner
| Thursday, Sept. 24 | 1-6 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| Friday, Sept. 25 | 1-6 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| Saturday, Sept. 26 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; 12-3:30 p.m. | Golf Channel; NBC |
| Sunday, Sept. 27 | 12-1:30 p.m.; 1:30-6 p.m. | Golf Channel; NBC |
TOUR Championship Preview
The Player of the Year debate between Day and two-time major champion Jordan Spieth will rage on and could well be settled if one of those two wins this week and claims the FedEx Cup.
Day had comments of his own on the matter after a six-stroke win at the BMW Championship—his fourth victory in six starts—and did acknowledge Spieth is the leader in the clubhouse for the accolade, per ESPN.com's Bob Harig:
"It might change people's minds about it if I go ahead and win next week and win the FedEx Cup. That'll definitely move some heads, I think.
But once again, we can't deny what Jordan has done in the major championships this year. For a 22-year-old kid to accomplish what he's done in the major championships, to even have the opportunity at winning the Grand Slam in the year ... that has been an amazing ride for him.
I think it's him, but I'm hoping I can go and win next week and get people talking about it a lot more.
"
Impressive as Day and Spieth have been, they are the obvious headliners for this week. Let's look at some of the other studs teeing it up in the TOUR Championship.
Rory McIlroy finished tied for fourth at the BMW Championship and started to show improvement with his putter. McIlroy has been on from tee to green since his return from an ankle injury, but his flat iron has betrayed him to a large degree. Last week's performance suggests McIlroy is turning the corner.
While Day and Spieth deservedly garner all the hype, McIlroy continues to float under the radar. If his past is any indication, any adversity McIlroy faces is often followed by phenomenal golf.
It's only a matter of time before Day's scalding-hot streak comes to an end, and Spieth has simply run out of steam in the postseason. The injury-imposed hiatus McIlroy took has him fresher than just about any of his fellow competitors.
Although McIlroy needs considerable help to take the FedEx Cup title and must win to have a shot, he's certainly trending in the right direction.
Birdieing the 72nd hole at last week's tournament allowed Harris English to qualify for the field in Atlanta after a couple of close calls. Steve Elling of Golfblot.com poked a bit of fun at English for the recent heartbreaks:
English has been in fine form and has taken a back seat to other more hyped 20-something Americans such as Spieth and Deutsche Bank Championship victor Rickie Fowler. With the pressure off and a ticket to East Lake finally punched, look for English as a sleeper despite his inexperience at the venue.
One other young star to watch for is Hideki Matsuyama. He is another excellent ball-striker whose putter has prevented him from further exploits. Matsuyama is also coming off a BMW Championship in which he had rounds of 63 and a closing 66 mixed with a 72 and 70.
A fascinating factor that can't be ignored is how Matsuyama deals with playing on his own for the first round. Due to Furyk's withdrawal, Matsuyama will tee it up by himself and can focus all the more on his own game, which could help him get off to an excellent start.
Three of the past four TOUR Championship winners haven't been traditionally tremendous on the greens. Bill Haas, Henrik Stenson and Billy Horschel have never been known as elite putters. It's a ball-striker's course at East Lake, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see someone like McIlroy or Matsuyama emerge with the win.
Note: Stats courtesy of PGATour.com unless otherwise indicated.
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