The regular season of the PGA Tour is nearing its end. Only two tournaments ahead, the 3M Open taking place this week and the Wyndham Championship scheduled from August 8 to 11 in Greensboro, right after the Olympic Games.
There are only two cards left to secure a spot among the top 70 of the year who will compete in Memphis in the first of the FedExCup playoffs. However, the season will not end there for those who do not make it. From September we will have the fight to keep the card in the eight tournaments of the Fall Series. We must also not forget the Presidents Cup.
So there are only two tests left to define the top 70 who will play the FedEx. Among the big names that are not currently qualified for the FedEx St Jude Championship, there is one that stands out above all others, and that is Rickie Fowler. The American has not been doing well since he only played two matches in the Ryder Cup in Rome and did not manage to give even half a point to the American team. The season of the Murrieta native is far from the level shown just a year ago when he won again on the PGA Tour, added eight top tens and even was in the fight to win the US Open (T5).
The 36-year-old player has not added any top ten in 2024 and has only finished twice among the top twenty. He is one of the thirteen survivors who has been able to make the cut in the four Majors, but his best position has been a T30 in the Masters. He has only missed six cuts, but the weekends have been very poor throughout the year.
What is surprising is that Fowler will not be part of the game this week in Blaine. He is putting everything on the Wyndham Championship where he will need a good result to recover the more than 250 points he is missing to reach the 70th place in the ranking at this time.
In a similar situation is Jorge Campillo. He is currently ranked 128th in the annual ranking and, although the Extremadura native’s fight is mainly focused on keeping the card, a big hit at the Wyndham Championship could get him into the postseason playoffs. Like Fowler, he is saving all his cards for the Wyndham Championship.
Kurt Kitayama, a winner on the circuit, is one of the big names that is playing the 3M Open this week in an attempt to storm a spot among the top 70. The American is looking to qualify for the final stages of the season for the third consecutive year. He is currently ranked 78th.
Adam Schenk (75) just a season ago was among the top 30 of the year and does not have a seat at the first playoff right now. He will be another one looking to secure his place in Memphis at the 3M. Another big name is Zach Johnson, last year’s Ryder captain is far from the goal (ranked 150), but why not dream of a result that puts him in the fight. He has not made it to the final stretch of the season since 2018.
Precisely the defending champion of the tournament, Lee Hodges, is just at the gates of the goal. He is 72nd at the moment, just 5 points away. It doesn’t seem like a bad ring to try to storm the bull of the playoffs. Keith Mitchell (75), Charley Hoffman (80) or Joel Dahmen (105) are other illustrious ones who are also playing this week with their sights set on Memphis.
On the other hand, we have a good string of players who are in and want to secure the fort. Emiliano Grillo is one of those, ranked 67th, but he needs to play and add points so as not to be left out in stoppage time. In a similar situation are Maverick MacNealy (68) and Seamus Power (66).
The main favourite for the title in Blaine will be the world number eleven, Sahith Theegala and the tournament will also feature one of the best players from the Open Championship, Thriston Lawrence. Get used to it because it will be common to start seeing the South African playing beyond the seas.
