It has all come down to this.
A $40 million purse is at stake, including $10 million to the golfer who is standing alone at the 18th hole at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta at the 2025 Tour Championship.
The final event of the FedEx Cup playoffs is a four-day stroke-play event, meaning each of the 30 golfers competing started at even par, and the best score at the end of four rounds will be the champion, as is the case at any other event on the tour. Gone are the days of the starting stroke, which gave the golfers with the highest-ranking entering the event a decided advantage in previous years.
That means World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who won last week’s BMW Championship and is the leader in FedEx Cup points, must continue playing his best to become the first back-to-back champion since the FedEx Cup Playoffs were first played in 2007.
Scheffler did just that, standing alone at second place after a 7-under 63 in the first round. However, the story of the day was undoubtedly Russell Henley. The American burst out to a two-stroke lead to begin the Tour Championship, sitting at 9-under after a stunning 61 in the opening round.
Tour Championship live leaderboard
1. Russell Henley: -9 (F)
2. Scottie Scheffler: -7 (F)
T3. Collin Morikawa: -6 (F)
T3. Patrick Cantlay: -6 (F)
T3. Justin Thomas: -6 (F)
T3. Robert MacIntyre: -6 (F)
T3. Tommy Fleetwood: -6 (F)
McIlroy scores the ugliest birdie ever on 18
After a solid first 17 holes, which saw Rory McIlroy just outside the top 10 at 3-under, McIlroy fell apart on the final hole, pulling his tee shot into the rough … of a different hole on the course. Of course, people have rebounded from worse, but McIlroy’s next shot wound up in the furthest bunker surrounding the green, making an up-and-down all but impossible.
McIlroy would get rather lucky with his bunker shot. He skulled the ball and it would have gone flying over the green if not for the grandstand playing backstop and bouncing the ball back onto the green. Somehow, McIlroy would sink the long putt for birdie, pushing him into a tie for eighth at 4-under. How? No idea, but the saying goes, ‘It’s better to be lucky than good.’ McIlroy certainly stretched that saying to its limit.
McIlroy’s groupmate, Scottie Scheffler, would also birdie the hole to pull into sole possession of second place.
Scottie Scheffler tees off, looking to defend title
All 30 golfers are on the East Lake Golf Club course as Scheffler and Rory McIlroy started their first round. Jacob Bridgeman, Nick Taylor and Collin Morikawa have jumped out to an early lead at 4-under through the front nine. Scheffler made a par on the first hole, which has given golfers trouble through the early portion of the round.
First golfers tee off at Tour Championship
The pairing of Chris Gotterup and Akshay Bhatia, ranked 29th and 30th in FedEx Cup points during the regular season, has hit the course to kick off the action at the most lucrative stop on tour.
What time is Tour Championship?
The 2025 Tour Championship begins Thursday, Aug. 21. The first tee time on Thursday is 11:16 a.m. ET, with coverage starting at 11 a.m. ET.
How to watch Tour Championship: TV channel, streaming
The 2025 Tour Championship, the final event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, will be televised nationally on the Golf Channel and NBC. It can be live streamed via ESPN+, Peacock and Fubo depending on the time. Here’s the full broadcast schedule for all four rounds:
All times Eastern
Thursday, Aug. 21 and Friday, Aug. 22
11 a.m.-6 p.m. on ESPN+
1-6 p.m. on Golf Channel,Fubo
Saturday, Aug. 23
Noon-7 p.m. on ESPN+
1-2:30 p.m. on Golf Channel, Fubo
2:30-7 p.m. on NBC, Peacock
Sunday, Aug. 24
11 a.m.-6 p.m. on ESPN+
Noon-1:30 p.m. on Golf Channel, Fubo
1:30-6 p.m. on NBC, Peacock
Watch the Tour Championship with Peacock
Tour Championship tee times, pairings
First Round – Thursday
All times ET
11:16 a.m. — Chris Gotterup, Akshay Bhatia
11:27 a.m. — Jacob Bridgeman, Sungjae Im
11:38 a.m. — Nick Taylor, Harry Hall
11:49 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry
12 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland
12:16 p.m. — Corey Conners, Patrick Cantlay
12:27 p.m. — Sam Burns, Brian Harman
12:38 p.m. — Andrew Novak, Keegan Bradley
12:49 p.m. — Cameron Young, Ludvig Åberg
1 p.m. — Harris English, Justin Thomas
1:16 p.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Maverick McNealy
1:27 p.m. — Russell Henley, Sepp Straka
1:38 p.m. — Tommy Fleetwood, Ben Griffin
1:49 p.m. — J.J. Spaun, Justin Rose
2 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy
FedEx Cup standings
Here are the 30 players who qualified for the 2025 Tour Championship and their FedEx Cup points following the BMW Championship, won by Scottie Scheffler:
Scottie Scheffler: 7,456 points
Rory McIlroy: 3,687 points
J.J. Spaun: 3,493 points
Justin Rose: 3,326 points
Tommy Fleetwood: 2,923 points
Ben Griffin: 2,798 points
Russell Henley: 2,795 points
Sepp Straka: 2,783 points
Robert MacIntyre: 2,750 points
Maverick McNealy: 2,547 points
Harris English: 2,512 points
Justin Thomas: 2,477 points
Cameron Young: 2,185 points
Ludvig Aberg: 2,179 points
Andrew Novak: 2,030 points
Keegan Bradley: 1,993 points
Sam Burns: 1,871 points
Brian Harman: 1,735 points
Corey Conners: 1,719 points
Patrick Cantlay: 1,661 points
Collin Morikawa: 1,656 points
Viktor Hovland: 1,637 points
Hideki Matsuyama: 1,630 points
Shane Lowry: 1,607 points
Nick Taylor: 1,564 points
Harry Hall: 1,475 points
Jacob Bridgeman: 1,475 points
Sungjae Im: 1,422 points
Chris Gotterup: 1,414 points
Akshay Bhatia: 1,409 points
