2026 St. Jude Championship TV schedule, coverage: Where to watch first event of FedEx Cup Playoffs
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- FedEx Cup Playoffs open at the St. Jude Championship in Memphis with 69 players, and only the top 50 in the standings will advance to next week's BMW Championship
- Rory McIlroy committed to the 2026 field after skipping last year's playoff opener; he enters this week 12th in the FedEx Cup standings
- Daniel Berger is the only player missing from the top 70, having opted not to commit to the Memphis field after finishing 60th in the standings
- Justin Rose returns as defending champion after winning the 2025 St. Jude Championship
- The top-50 bubble: Michael Brennan, Matt McCarty, Keith Mitchell, and Maverick McNealy hold the last four spots entering the week, with Harris English, Max Homa, Sungjae Im, and Jordan Spieth directly behind them in the standings
- Weekday TV coverage adds a national ESPN window from 9-11 a.m. Thursday and Friday, with Golf Channel carrying live afternoon coverage from 2-6 p.m. on PGA Tour Live and GolfChannel.com
- Weekend coverage splits between early Golf Channel windows (1-3 p.m. Saturday, 12-2 p.m. Sunday) and CBS/Paramount+ afternoon broadcasts (3-6 p.m. Saturday, 2-6 p.m. Sunday)
Why it matters: The first playoff event gets a rare ESPN weekday morning slot alongside Golf Channel — an expanded broadcast footprint that brings casual viewers into the postseason picture earlier than usual. On the course, 20 players sit within striking distance of the top-50 cut, meaning established names like Jordan Spieth and Max Homa face elimination at TPC Southwind, not just weekend leaders competing for the trophy.
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