Tommy Fleetwood is the primary man out within the standings coming into the week.
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Not solely did the primary week of the FedEx Cup Playoffs produce excessive drama for the participant that lifted the trophy, nevertheless it additionally noticed main motion towards the opposite finish of the standings with who did and didn’t make the sector for this week’s BMW Championship.
In all, whereas it appeared like extra at a number of factors, simply three gamers — Viktor Hovland, Eric Cole and Nick Dunlap — moved into the coveted high 50 within the standings. With three transferring in, three — Tom Kim, Mackenzie Hughes and Jake Knapp — moved out, Kim doing so in dramatic vogue, making six on the ultimate three holes to turn into the primary man out.
Others, like Keegan Bradley, simply squeaked out a berth within the BMW Championship, and by extension, all eight of subsequent 12 months’s Signature Occasions. Bradley got here into the week at thirty ninth within the standings and completed T59 in Memphis, however that was simply sufficient to maintain him because the final man within the subject at Citadel Pines.
The PGA Tour’s most profitable minimize simply occurred. Who missed out?
My colleague James Colgan summarized what it now means to earn that high 50 berth, however what comes subsequent remains to be the last word prize with a spot within the Tour Championship. Along with entry into the Signature Occasions, Tour Championship members get a two-year exemption on Tour, entry into the Masters and, historically, spots within the U.S. Open and Open Championship. To not point out they’re additionally jockeying for place within the Tour Championship’s distinctive staggered-strokes format the place they’ll play for the now-$100 million FedEx Cup bonus pool.
This season, based mostly on the present standings, the highest 19 gamers within the BMW Championship are locked into making subsequent week’s subject in Atlanta, and in response to our pals at Knowledge Golf, 4 extra gamers have not less than a 98-percent probability of advancing to East Lake.
That leaves us with 27 gamers on and across the bubble this week in Colorado. Hold studying beneath for extra on this week’s FedEx Cup Playoffs bubble on the BMW Championship.
BMW Championship high 30 bubble
No. 25 Jason Day: It was a well-timed return to the highest 50 of the FedEx Cup standings final 12 months with Day’s first win in 5 years in Dallas. Whereas he hasn’t been fairly as stellar as 2023, Day has quietly put collectively 4 top-10s and eight top-25s this 12 months, not counting a T9 on the Olympics.
No. 29 Brian Harman: Final 12 months’s Champion Golfer of the 12 months has been quiet as effectively in 2023. He’s made the minimize in all however two of his begins this season and none for the reason that Masters and racked up 10 high 25s, however simply three have been high 10s.
Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos
No. 30 Denny McCarthy: This week’s bubble boy might be one of the harmful putters on Tour, particularly after he placed on one of many best PGA Tour placing performances of all-time in coming oh so shut on the Valero Texas Open this spring. McCarthy has been within the high 40 within the FedEx Cup the previous two seasons, however the 31-year-old has by no means gone all the way in which to East Lake.
No. 31 Tommy Fleetwood: The Olympic silver medalist has been constant all season, lacking simply two cuts, however is hindered by the truth that he’s made simply 17 PGA Tour begins. He’ll want a stable week if he’s to have an opportunity at repeating final 12 months’s sixth place FedEx Cup end.
No. 32 Chris Kirk: Kirk appeared to be taking his recreation to a different degree when he pulled off a dramatic season-opening win on the Sentry to turn into the season’s first FedEx Cup chief. Since then, he’s recorded only one high 10 and his finest end this summer season was a T26 on the U.S. Open.
No. 35 Stephan Jaeger: The one man to take down Scottie Scheffler within the months of March and April hasn’t had the second half of the season to match his robust opener. He got here into the playoffs having missed three of his final 4 cuts and completed T40 final week in Memphis.
No. 36 Matt Fitzpatrick: The Brit has been an element within the final two Tour Championships (ninth in 2023, fifteenth in 2022), however hasn’t been close to the highest of a leaderboard since he completed T5 on the Memorial. A wrist damage pressured him out of the Olympics, however he rebounded properly with a T18 in Memphis. He may have to do higher this week.
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No. 37 Will Zalatoris: Zalatoris has had an up-and-down return from damage this season after he opened the 12 months with three top-10s in 5 begins from the Genesis to the Masters. Then he had a flare-up in June and WD’d from the Rocket Mortgage and missed his subsequent three cuts. He appeared to search out some kind final week on the web site of his first win in Memphis. Zalatoris has additionally unusually by no means made it to East Lake since he acquired harm proper after his 2022 win on the FedEx St. Jude.
No. 39 Cameron Younger: Younger has added one other runner-up this season to his profession whole of seven, essentially the most of anybody with out a win within the final 40 years, and 6 top-10s. He’s additionally solely missed one minimize all 12 months. So why is he up to now down the listing? In his 12 non-top-25 begins, he completed outdoors the highest 50 half the time.
No. 41 Adam Scott: Scott can really feel relaxation assured that he will probably be in all eight Signature Occasions subsequent season after needing sponsor’s exemptions to 5 of them this 12 months. His recreation additionally appears to be peaking on the proper time, having completed 2nd, T10 and T18 in his final three begins, his first two high 10s since February.
No. 43 Max Homa: When Homa was one dangerous break from actually giving Scottie Scheffler a run on the Masters, it appeared like he was destined to proceed a three-year run that noticed him decide up 5 wins. Nevertheless, he’s recorded only one high 10 the remainder of the way in which and was useless final in Memphis final week.
He hit a shot so dangerous, it missed a lake. He’s nonetheless in second place
No. 48 Nick Dunlap: Dunalp is on a severe heater to shut the season. He picked up his second win on the Baracuda Championship (and first to grant him FedEx Cup factors) after which was within the image for many of the week in Memphis to earn a spot within the high 50.
No. 50 Keegan Bradley: Subsequent 12 months’s Ryder Cup captain has Tom Kim’s implosion to thank for his spot on the BMW. His two runner-ups on the Sony and Fort Price are his solely two high 10s this season, however he’ll possible want not less than a 3rd if he’s to maneuver on to Atlanta.
