How Do the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs Work? Format Explained

The regular season of the PGA Tour Champions has come to a close. The senior golfers teed off in about 26 events throughout 2024 to bring about the current Charles Schwab Cup standings. What’s more, it has managed to rank 215 athletes based on the money they raked in throughout the same. But there’s a catch. Not all of them have moved to the playoffs that kicked off on October 18. Yes, that’s right. We are referring to the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs that teed off at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.

The tournament at the Country Club of Virginia is the start of a three-event series that will crown the winner of the 2024 Charles Schwab Cup. Interesting enough? Well, it is natural to be intrigued. The points that have been used to rank the golfers, were and continue to be converted from the total dollar bills they rake in through the events, as per the PGA Tour Champions rules.

Before the Dominion Energy Charity Classic kicked off, the season-long money list was converted to a points list, with each dollar bill being marked as a single point. But the three playoff events that tee off in Virginia work differently. How? Each of the dollars that they offer is worth double. This means $1 from the playoffs would equal to 2 points.

Now, coming back to the standings. Not everyone on the 215-golfer points list will make it to the playoffs. According to the rules, only 72 senior professionals in the Charles Schwab Cup standings after the SAS Championship ends will move on to the first leg of the PGA Tour Champions Playoffs. A similar style of qualification criteria continues even after the Dominion Energy Charity Classic ends on October 20. Meaning? Not all 72 athletes move on to the second leg, unfortunately so!

Only the top 54 senior professionals in the standings after the event in Virginia ends will be eligible for teeing off at the Simmons Bank Championship on October 25. Moreover, after the tournament in Arkansas ends, the top 36 golfers on the rankings will tee off for the final crown at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on November 7. The culmination of a long and scintillating 26-event schedule that has brought about the current rankings!

Ernie Els on the cusp of a Charles Schwab Cup win?

Out of the total 26 events of the PGA Tour Champion’s regular season, the South African golfer has teed off in 20 tournaments. And out of the same, he has made the cut in all of them while finishing inside the top 10 in 10 events, three of which were victories. As a result, he was able to garner a sum of $2,217,718, all of which got converted into points for him to rank on top of the standings. But is it enough to cement his place at the top of the leaderboard?

The short answer would be a ‘no’. Steven Alker and Stephen Ames are close behind the 55-year-old athlete at T2 and T3, respectively, on the Charles Schwab Cup standings. Alker boasts a figure of $2,113,973, while Ames is at No. 3 owing to his sum of $2,032,385. And a winner’s cut from the $2,000,000 prize purse is more than enough for the two golfers to close the gap between themselves and Els. The fans can be sure of one thing: It sure is going to be a close competition!