Tiger Woods looks to cash in on his return to form, with a $10 million FedEx Cup bonus up for grabs
- The FedEx Cup playoffs determine the season-long champion on the PGA Tour.
- The four playoffs events, beginning Thursday with The Northern Trust, will offer a combined $36 million in prize money, which when added to those bonuses, make up an overall fund of over $70 million during the four weeks of competition.
The winners for all four golf majors of 2018 have been decided and there's still a month to go before the United States defends The Ryder Cup against Europe.
But in the meantime, some of the sport's biggest prize pots remain up for grabs, with one man walking away with a $10 million bonus at the end of the Tour Championship.
The FedEx Cup playoffs determine the season-long champion on the PGA Tour. The four playoffs events, beginning Thursday with The Northern Trust, will offer a combined $36 million in prize money, which when added to those bonuses, make up an overall fund of over $70 million during the four weeks of competition.
The top 125 of the world's best players on the PGA circuit will be whittled down to 30 over the course of the next few weeks, culminating in the Tour Championship. World number one Dustin Johnson currently leads the standings, with a host of other major winners chasing him, including Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Justin Rose.
Further down the point's standings in 20th place, but back competing at the highest level again is Tiger Woods, who after strong showings at The Open and the U.S. PGA Championship appears to have put years of injuries and personal troubles behind him.
The fourteen-time major tournament winner said the support he has received from the galleries this year shows how "appreciative" fans are of his latest comeback effort.
The 42-year-old underwent back surgery for the fourth time in April last year that caused him to question whether he would ever play competitive golf again.
"I think people are more appreciative," said Woods told reporters ahead of a practice round at Ridgewood Country Club. "They've all gone through it — when you get to your forties you're feeling it."
The FedEx Cup has been good to Woods since it was introduced back in 2007. His bonus money earnings alone total $25,575,000, almost $10 million more than the nearest challenger and that's despite not even featuring in the playoffs since 2013.
"They know I'm at the tail-end of my career. I don't know how many years I've got left but I'm certain I'm not like I was when I was 22. At 42, it's a different ball game," he said.
He appears undaunted by the prospect of having to play three consecutive tournaments for the first time in more than five years to qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship.
"That's a lot of golf," he added. "It's about pacing myself and making sure I don't practice too much and don't overdo it and making sure my training schedule goes well."
"One of the hardest things from this year is trying to find the right balance, but as the summer has gone on I've gotten better," he added.
Woods finished as the 11th American in the U.S. standings, outside the eight players who qualified automatically for the U.S. Ryder Cup team after the PGA Championship, but is a strong contender to be named as one of Jim Furyk's four captain's picks.
The former world number one is on the team as a vice-captain, a role he filled at the 2016 Ryder Cup and 2017 Presidents Cup while out with his back injury.