FedEx Cup prize money: PGA Tour leader Dustin Johnson closes in on $10m treasure chest
Dustin Johnson is on course to add golf's most generous greenback prize to a golden year, after taking a step closer to the FedEx Cup's massive $10m (£7.7m) prize .
At the end of the first day of the Tour Championship, the final tournament of the four post-PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoffs, the world No2 shared the lead with fellow American Kevin Chappell at four under.
Johnson is currently top of the FedEx Cup points standings — the season-long PGA Tour ranking system — and will remain there should he secure his fourth title of the season in Atlanta.
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Australians Jason Day and Adam Scott, American Patrick Reed and Englishman Paul Casey are all hot on his heels in the points standings and will take home the lucrative eight-figure prize for themselves, as well the individual tournament reward of $1.5m, should they haul Johnson off top spot at the Tour Championship before the end of Sunday.
Johnson has risen from No9 to No2 in the official golf world rankings in 2016 after winning the first major of his career at the US Open in June, followed by the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in July and the BMW championship earlier this month.
That run has earned the 32-year-old $9.1m in PGA so far this year, already the best haul of his career to date, and boosted his all-time earnings to $38.7m, the 12th highest total in PGA Tour history.
A FedEx Cup and Tour Championship would boost his earnings by 29 per cent to $50.2m.
Jordan Spieth earned a record $22.03m after winning last year's Tour Championship and FedEx Cup (Source: Getty)
Only Jordan Spieth, who made $12m last year, and Vijay Singh, who made $10.9m in 2004, have ever made more from PGA Tour events.
Even if Johnson doubles his 2016 take home with the $10m FedEx Cup bonus, he will fall narrowly short of the record $22.03m earned by Spieth last year.