Honestly, the PGA Tour had no idea what they were getting into back in 2007. They wanted drama. They wanted a season-long chase that didn't just fizzle out once the final major was in the books. Looking at the list of FedEx Cup champions today, it’s clear they got exactly what they asked for—even if the rules changed almost every single year to get there.
Golf used to be simple. You won tournaments, you made money, and you went home for the winter. But the FedEx Cup turned the schedule into a high-stakes sprint. It’s been nearly two decades since Tiger Woods hoisted that first silver trophy, and since then, we’ve seen everything from massive blowouts to heart-pounding Sunday finishes at East Lake.
The Early Years: Tiger and the Points Problem
The first name on the list of FedEx Cup champions is, unsurprisingly, Tiger Woods. In 2007, he was so dominant that the points system basically broke. He won the whole thing while skipping the first playoff event. Imagine that. He just didn't show up to the opening round and still walked away with the $10 million check.
The Tour panicked a bit. They wanted the stars to play every week, so they started tweaking the math.
- 2007: Tiger Woods (The year he proved he didn't even need all four events).
- 2008: Vijay Singh (He essentially locked it up before the final tournament even started).
- 2009: Tiger Woods (Again. This win forced more rules changes because Phil Mickelson won the Tour Championship, but Tiger won the Cup. Fans were confused).
By 2010, the "points reset" became the talk of the locker room. Jim Furyk won that year in a rain-soaked finale, proving that consistency—and just surviving the Atlanta humidity—was just as important as having a 350-yard drive.
The Mid-Era Chaos (2011-2015)
This was the era of the "unlikely hero." You had guys like Bill Haas in 2011, who hit a legendary shot out of a lake at East Lake to save his par and win the title. It was pure chaos. One shot literally worth millions of dollars.
- 2011: Bill Haas (The water shot heard 'round the world).
- 2012: Brandt Snedeker (The best putter on the planet for one month).
- 2013: Henrik Stenson (The first European to do it).
- 2014: Billy Horschel (He got hot at the exact right second).
- 2015: Jordan Spieth (The "Golden Child" year where he could do no wrong).
Spieth’s 2015 win was special because he was coming off two majors. He validated the whole "season-long" concept. If the best player of the year didn't win the Cup, people questioned the system. When Spieth won, everyone finally exhaled.
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Rory McIlroy: The King of the Playoffs
If you look at the list of FedEx Cup champions now, one name stands above the rest. Rory McIlroy.
He’s won it three times (2016, 2019, 2022). That’s more than Tiger. It’s more than anyone. Rory has this weird knack for finding an extra gear in August. In 2016, he won the Tour Championship in a playoff just to snatch the Cup away from Dustin Johnson.
Then in 2019, they changed the rules again. They introduced the "Starting Strokes" format. The leader of the points list started the final tournament at 10-under par. People hated it at first. They said it wasn't "real golf." But Rory started behind and still hunted down Brooks Koepka to win. He did it again in 2022, coming back from a triple-bogey on his first hole of the tournament to beat Scottie Scheffler.
Recent Dominance and New Names
Lately, the Cup has been a battleground for the world number ones. We’ve seen a shift toward the "best player wins" rather than "the guy who got lucky in August wins."
- 2020: Dustin Johnson (Clinical. Boringly good).
- 2021: Patrick Cantlay (Ice in his veins during that duel with Bryson DeChambeau).
- 2023: Viktor Hovland (The Norwegian smashed the field with back-to-back 60s).
- 2024: Scottie Scheffler (Finally got the monkey off his back after years of leading).
- 2025: Tommy Fleetwood (The most recent addition, a massive win for the fan favorite).
Fleetwood’s win in 2025 was a bit of a tear-jerker. He’d been the "best player without a PGA Tour win" for so long, then he went and won the biggest prize of them all. He beat Scottie Scheffler by three strokes, ending the season as the definitive king of the Tour.
Breaking Down the Multi-Time Winners
There are only two guys on the list of FedEx Cup champions who have done it more than once. Just two. That tells you how hard this is.
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Rory McIlroy (3 Wins: 2016, 2019, 2022)
Rory's 2022 win was probably his most impressive. He trailed Scottie Scheffler by six shots entering the final round. Six! On a course like East Lake, that’s usually game over. But Rory shot a 66 while Scottie stumbled, proving that the pressure of $18 million (the prize at the time) does weird things to people.
Tiger Woods (2 Wins: 2007, 2009)
Tiger would probably have five of these if his back had held up. In his prime, the FedEx Cup was basically his to lose. His 2007 season remains the gold standard: 7 wins, including a major, and the inaugural Cup.
The "Starting Strokes" Controversy
You can't talk about the list of FedEx Cup champions without mentioning how the winner is actually decided these days. Since 2019, the PGA Tour uses a staggered start.
If you are #1 in points entering the finale, you start at -10.
If you are #30, you start at Even par.
Purists sort of loathe this. They think everyone should start at 0. But the Tour wanted a "first across the finish line" moment. No more "Player A wins the trophy, but Player B wins the money." Now, whoever wins the tournament wins the Cup. It’s simplified the broadcast, but it has definitely made it harder for the underdogs to make a run from the bottom of the list.
Why the FedEx Cup Still Matters
Critics say it’s just about the money. And yeah, $25 million (Scottie Scheffler's 2024 haul) is a lot of cash. But for the players, it’s about the status. Being on the list of FedEx Cup champions puts you in a different category. It means you didn't just have one good week; it means you didn't collapse when the spotlight was the brightest.
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Think about Billy Horschel in 2014. He wasn't a superstar yet. He went 2nd-1st-1st in the final three events. That’s legendary. It changed his entire career trajectory.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you’re following the race to join the list of FedEx Cup champions, keep these factors in mind:
- The "Hot Hand" Theory: Look at the winner of the BMW Championship. Historically, the momentum from the second-to-last playoff event carries over.
- East Lake Course History: Some guys just "get" the greens in Atlanta. Xander Schauffele, for instance, almost always has the lowest 72-hole score, even if he doesn't start with the lead.
- The Points Reset: Pay attention to the Wyndham Championship. It's the last chance to get into the top 70. The pressure there is often higher than the actual finals because players are fighting for their jobs.
The history of the FedEx Cup is a history of the PGA Tour trying to find its soul in a world of growing sports competition. From Tiger's dominance to Tommy Fleetwood's emotional 2025 breakthrough, the list of winners reflects the true hierarchy of modern golf.
If you want to understand who the best golfers of the last 20 years are, don't just look at the Major tally. Look at who survived the August heat at East Lake. That's where the real story is.
To stay ahead of the next season, monitor the "Signature Events" on the calendar. These are now the primary way players stack points before the playoffs begin. The path to the 2026 title has already started, and the points are harder to come by than ever. Keep an eye on the top 50 in the standings by June; historically, the eventual champion is almost always already inside that bubble by mid-summer.