Rickie Fowler is on the skin trying in on the FedEx Cup Playoffs, whereas Jordan Spieth’s spot is almost certainly safe.
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Till final season, the FedEx Cup Playoffs welcomed the PGA Tour’s high 125 to the postseason — and people 125 obtained a full Tour card for the next season, too. However issues have modified. Belts have tightened. Playoff berths have shrunk to 70, according to tough discipline sizes on the Tour’s Signature Occasions, which implies entrance has grown extra aggressive.
At this level within the yr, probabilities for enchancment have grown scarce; this week’s 3M Open and the Wyndham Championship in two weeks’ time conclude the common season. And with fewer golfers qualifying, extra names are left on the skin trying in.
Listed here are 15 of ’em.
TIER 3: Not gonna occur
15. Tiger Woods (No. 222 in FedEx Cup)
His FedEx Cup miss gained’t come as a shock, however Tiger’s absence stays price noting; his solely factors this yr got here in a Sixtieth-place end on the Masters.
14. Kevin Kisner (No. 211 in FedEx Cup)
It’s been a attempting yr on the course for Kisner, who ranks exterior the highest 170 in strokes gained off the tee, approaching the inexperienced and across the inexperienced. (He’s nonetheless gaining strokes placing.) He’s made simply 4 cuts in 16 begins and even these 4 haven’t panned out; his greatest end is T64. It’s lower than two years since Kisner was part of a successful Presidents Cup group — now he’ll have to attend for the autumn to begin the subsequent chapter of his comeback.
13. Francesco Molinari (No. 203 in FedEx Cup)
The 2018 Open champion and 2019 Ryder Cup hero has been chasing his former self for a number of years now; he made simply 4 cuts in 12 begins this season and his greatest end result got here in a T46 on the Genesis Scottish Open.
12. Padraig Harrington (No. 177 in FedEx Cup)
Harrington doesn’t play all that a lot golf on the PGA Tour lately, so most of his factors come from a T22 end eventually week’s Open Championship. However even that didn’t fulfill the big-dreaming Irishman, who confessed he was disenchanted to not contend for the win.
“I’ll be again,” he mentioned. “I’m not retiring but.”
TIER 2: So that you’re saying there’s an opportunity…
11. Matt Kuchar (No. 155 in FedEx Cup)
Final yr, when Adam Scott completed No. 72 within the FedEx Cup, Kuchar formally turned the one participant to make all 17 editions of the playoffs. That streak seems in critical jeopardy; he’s made 5 of his final seven cuts however has only a single top-20 end this season.
10. Zach Johnson (No. 148 in FedEx Cup)
Final yr’s American Ryder Cup captain has made eight of 14 cuts however has no end increased than T19; the FedEx Cup rewards brilliance over consistency.
9. Webb Simpson (No. 145 in FedEx Cup)
For a number of years Simpson was among the many greatest gamers on this planet; his vice-captain appointment to Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup employees earlier this week signaled a shift to the subsequent part of his profession.
8. Daniel Berger (No. 136 in FedEx Cup)
Berger earned the ultimate level on the 2021 Ryder Cup and was a mainstay among the many high People on this planet. Then he disappeared for some time, battling damage, earlier than staging a comeback this season — however the sport hasn’t returned fairly so simply. He’s proven flashes of sturdy play together with a T13 on the Byron Nelson and a T21 on the U.S. Open, however Berger has work to do to get again to the place he thinks he belongs within the sport.
7. Joel Dahmen (No. 113 in FedEx Cup)
Dahmen is an enormous fan favourite — significantly since Netflix stardom — however had hit a tough patch earlier than reeling off eight consecutive made cuts this summer season. Nonetheless, he has simply two top-20s and subsequently wants one thing particular if he’ll make it to Memphis.
6. Rickie Fowler (No. 100 in FedEx Cup)
Fowler hasn’t had hassle making it to the weekend, he simply hasn’t spent a lot time in competition as soon as he’s gotten there. No end higher than T18 has him on the skin trying in.
TIER 1: The bubble boys
5. Nicolai Hojgaard (No. 77 in FedEx Cup)
As one member of final yr’s European Ryder Cup youth motion, the 23-year-old Hojgaard began his season sizzling with a second-place end at Torrey Pines and made noise in a T16 at Augusta Nationwide however hasn’t cracked the highest 30 in any other case.
4. Keith Mitchell (No. 76 in FedEx Cup)
Mitchell has two T9s and a T10 this yr plus six further top-20 finishes; it’s stunning to see him on the skin trying in. He’s among the many higher gamers at this week’s 3M Open; he’ll want a pair good weeks to make the playoffs.
3. Lucas Glover (No. 71 in FedEx Cup)
Final yr this time Glover was within the midst of reclaiming his profession with a string of top-five finishes capped off by wins on the Wyndham (to get into the playoffs) and the FedEx St. Jude (to show he belonged). One yr later it’s solely becoming that he wants a memorable end on the Wyndham (he’s not taking part in the 3M) to cross the edge once more.
2. Davis Riley (No. 70 in FedEx Cup)
It was once considerably uncommon to win and miss the playoffs; this yr Riley is on the bubble regardless of successful the Charles Schwab Problem whereas alternate-event champs Chris Gotterup and Brice Garnett are every on the skin trying in, too.
1. Maverick McNealy (No. 67 in FedEx Cup)
His yr was off to a powerful begin with top-10 finishes on the WM Phoenix Open and the Gamers Championship, however after stalling out in his previous couple of begins he’ll have to stave off challengers to make it to the playoffs, too.
TIER 0 (bonus tier): Ought to be protected, until…
5. Nick Dunlap (No. 64)
How will you win twice in a season and miss the playoffs? Begin by successful as soon as as an beginner; Dunlap collected zero factors on the American Categorical, which he gained as a colleg child. However he picked up a bunch extra as a seasoned professional successful final week’s Barracuda Championship.
4. Mark Hubbard (No. 63)
Hubbard has missed only one lower all season, so it appears incorrect that he’s not nicely contained in the top-50 Signature Occasion participant cutoff. However whereas he has been good on Thursdays (forty first in Rd. 1 scoring common) and terrific on lower day (fourth in Rd. 2) these numbers have slipped to 103rd on Saturdays and 88th on Sundays, resulting in a string of middling outcomes.
3. Taylor Moore (No. 62)
Moore completed inside the highest 20 on the yr’s first two majors in addition to second on the Houston Open however has cooled off with 5 missed cuts in seven begins.
2. Jordan Spieth (No. 61)
Spieth’s yr started with a third-place end on the Sentry; then he completed T6 on the WM Phoenix Open and was in competition on the Genesis till signing for the incorrect scorecard, incomes a DQ. He’s cracked the highest 20 simply as soon as since.
1. Min Woo Lee (No. 60)
He completed T2 on the Cognizant Basic and T2 once more on the Rocket Mortgage; let this man cook dinner all the way in which to the playoffs.
FEDEX CUP BUBBLE (as of July 24, pre-3M Open)
79. Adam Svensson
78. Kurt Kitayama
77. Nicolai Hojgaard
76. Keith Mitchell
75. Adam Schenk
74. Andrew Putnam
73. Lee Hodges
72. Lucas Glover
71. Luke Record
70. Davis Riley
69. Victor Perez
68. Maverick McNealy
67. Emiliano Grillo
66. Seamus Energy
65. Brendon Todd
64. Nick Dunlap
63. Mark Hubbard
62. Taylor Moore
61. Jordan Spieth
60. Min Woo Lee
