Tony Finau is tied for 11th in a golf tournament that he hasn’t played in yet.
How? Because the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship uses “starting strokes” to reward players who performed well throughout the season.
“Whoever leads the season-long FedEx Cup points standings entering the Tour Championship begins the tournament at 10 under par, with those behind him starting with scores on a staggered scale,” per The Washington Post.
Since Finau, who grew up in Utah, is in 15th place in the FedEx Cup points standings, he’s among the golfers who get to start this weekend’s competition at 3-under par.
How does the Tour Championship work?
The Tour Championship is the finale of a three-tournament playoff series. It’s the only one of the three — and the only PGA Tour competition all year — to use the “starting strokes” format.
Only the top 30 golfers in the FedEx Cup points standings make it to the Tour Championship.
The unique format aims to ensure that whoever wins the Tour Championship will also come out on top in the FedEx Cup, per The Washington Post.
Before the starting strokes approach was adopted in 2019, “the tournament winner and playoff winner often were different players, leading to confusion,” the article said.
Because he’s No. 1 in the FedEx Cup points standings, Scottie Scheffler starts this weekend’s tournament at 10-under part, two strokes ahead of Xander Schauffele in second place.
That’s a notable advantage, but it doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed a win.
“In the five years that the PGA Tour has used the starting-strokes format at the Tour Championship, the leader at the start of the tournament has won only twice,” The Washington Post reported.
How to watch the Tour Championship
The Tour Championship starts Thursday and lasts until Sunday. It will be broadcast on the Golf Channel and NBC.
Here’s how to watch, according to The Washington Post.
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Thursday: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. MDT on the Golf Channel
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Friday: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. MDT on the Golf Channel
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Saturday: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. MDT on the Golf Channel; 12:30-5 p.m. on NBC
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Sunday: 10-11:30 a.m. MDT on the Golf Channel; 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on NBC
The tournament will also stream on Peacock.
Tony Finau at the Tour Championship
Heading into last week’s BMW Championship, Finau was in 14th place in the FedEx Cup points standings. He finished in a tie for 13th, which slid him one spot down the standings.
The slide didn’t affect his starting stroke number. He would have been at 3-under par either way.
Finau will tee off in the Tour Championship Thursday at 10:38 a.m. MDT.
