PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Justin Thomas and Adam Scott stand on the 12th green during the first round of The Honda Classic at PGA National Resort and Spa on February 23, 2017. | Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
The final week of the PGA Tour regular season is here, which means FedEx Cup Playoff hopefuls need to play well in order to make it to Memphis.
Before the 3M Open in Minnesota, Lee Hodges was jockeying for position within the top 70 of the FedEx Cup Playoff standings.
He had never won a PGA Tour event, had only finished in the top ten twice this season, and ranked 74th in the standings, on the outside looking in.
But that all changed with his landslide victory, as Hodges’ dominating win at TPC Twin Cities vaulted him up to 33rd in the FedEx Cup rankings.
Now the PGA Tour shifts to Greensboro, North Carolina for the Wyndham Championship, the final tournament of the regular season.
Plenty of players reside on the FedEx Cup bubble, hoping to take a play out of Hodges’ playbook by winning the tournament and cementing themselves in the playoffs.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
BLAINE, Minn. — Lee Hodges celebrates with the trophy after winning the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 30, 2023.
So with the last week of the PGA Tour regular season now upon us, let us take a look at the FedEx Cup Playoff bubble to see who desperately needs a good performance in Greensboro:
Last Five In: Players Ranked 66th to 70th
66. Vincent Norrman – Sweden (631 FedEx Cup Points)
Norrman recently won the Barbasol Championship, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned event played concurrently as the Genesis Scottish Open.
The tour awarded Norrman 300 points for his victory in California, which helped the Swede rise 51 spots—from 111th to 60th—in the FedEx Cup standings.
He then tied for 25th at the Barracuda Championship—held the same week as The Open Championship—and most recently finished in a tie for 50th at the 3M Open.
Another made cut at the Wyndham Championship should get Norrman on the right side of the bubble and into the field at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first playoff event.
67. J.J. Spaun – United States (619)
J.J. Spaun most recently tied for 37th at the 3M Open, thus earning 17 FedEx Cup points. That leaves him three spots above the cut line heading into the Wyndham Championship.
The former San Diego State Aztec has made 18 of 25 cuts this season and has finished in the top-ten three times.
Spaun will need to make the cut in Greensboro to make the playoffs. Should he miss the cut as he did at the Travelers Championship, he likely does not make it to Memphis.
68. Ben Griffin – United States (617)
Ben Griffin tied for 20th at the 3M Open, keeping his playoff hopes alive as he received almost 40 FedEx Cup points in Minnesota.
The week before, when he made his Open Championship debut, Griffin missed the cut by a shot as his opening round 75 ultimately did him in at Royal Liverpool.
Yet, a missed cut at the Wyndham would likely end Griffin’s season early.
69. Cam Davis – Australia (605)
The Sydney, Australia native tied for 10th at the 3M Open, which awarded him with 70 FedEx Cup points.
Before his top-ten finish in Minnesota, Davis had missed the cut in four of his previous six events.
Another missed cut in Greensboro would end his season.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
BLAINE, Minn. — Cameron Davis lines up his putt on the 18th green during the third round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 29, 2023.
70. Austin Eckroat – United States (594)
The 24-year-old tied for 10th at the U.S. Open, which sent him inside the Top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings for the first time all year.
But after two missed cuts at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and 3M Open and a tie for 65th at the Genesis Scottish Open, Eckroad needs a solid performance this week to avoid missing the playoffs.
The former Oklahoma State Cowboy tied for 37th at the Wyndham Championship two years ago but did not play last year.
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
ATLANTA — PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan shakes hands with Rory McIlroy on the 18th green after the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on August 28, 2022.
Needs Help: Players Ranked 71st to 75th
71: Ben Taylor – England (592 FedEx Cup Points)
You can queue up Tom Petty’s famous song “Free Fallin’” when discussing Ben Taylor’s season.
After tying for fourth at the Sony Open in Hawaii in mid-January, Taylor ranked 22nd in the FedEx Cup standings.
But since then, Taylor has missed 10 cuts while finishing in the top 10 just two times: at the Honda Classic and the Mexico Open.
Hence his free fall.
He most recently finished in solo 71st at the 3M Open.
The week before, at the Genesis Scottish Open, he finished in a tie for 73rd. At least he is not missing the cut.
Maybe he finds something at the Wyndham Championship this week. If he does, it would do wonders for his playoff chances.
72. Garrick Higgo – South Africa (586)
The 24-year-old South African is trending in the right direction.
After missing the cut at the Travelers Championship, Garrick Higgo sat in 85th in the FedEx Cup standings.
But in his last four starts, Higgo finished in a tie for 33rd, 21st, 19th, and 13th.
He has not recorded a top-ten finish since last October at the Sanderson Farms Championship, where he came in solo third. Still, another strong outing from Higgo at the Wyndham Championship could get him to Memphis.
73. K.H. Lee – South Korea (567)
K.H. Lee missed the cut at the 3M Open, a tournament he desperately needed to play well in. His poor performance in Minnesota earned him zero FedEx Cup points, as he is now on the outside looking in.
As Playing Through noted last week, Lee has not had his best stuff for a while now.
He has missed the cut in six of his last seven events, with the outlier being the Genesis Scottish Open, where he finished in solo 72nd.
Lee needs to discover some magic and play well in Greensboro, or else his season is finished.
74. David Lingmerth – Sweden (561)
David Lingmerth, who won his only PGA Tour event at The Memorial Tournament in 2015, came out of nowhere to tie for third at the Scottish Open three weeks ago, thus vaulting him up to 71st from 95th in the FedEx Cup standings.
He then made the cut on the number at The Open but had a poor final round, shooting a 7-over 78 through the rain to tie for 68th.
He earned just four FedEx Cup points at Royal Liverpool, as he remains on the outside looking in.
Lingmerth skipped the 3M Open, opting to rest and recuperate ahead of the Wyndham Championship. A top-40 finish there will likely get Lingmerth on the right side of the bubble.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
HOYLAKE, England — David Lingmerth tees off on the 1st hole on Day Two of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 21, 2023.
75. Davis Thompson – United States (559)
Thompson finished solo second at The American Express in January, which earned him 300 FedEx Cup points.
He still relies on that finish, as he barely remains in the discussion heading into Greensboro.
He needs a solid performance to have any shot at the playoffs.
Other Notables Outside Top 70:
76. Shane Lowry – Ireland (556)
The 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year missed the cut at Royal Liverpool. That was a surprise considering he has been trending in the right direction since the PGA Championship at Oak Hill, where he tied for 12th.
His poor play at The Open could be summed up by one instance: when he snapped his club around his neck towards the end of the second round.
The week before last, at the Scottish Open, Lowry tied for 12th—his first start since the Travelers Championship.
But after playing back-to-back weeks, Lowry skipped the 3M Open, a head-scratching decision considering his spot on the bubble.
Per Brentley Romine of the Golf Channel, Lowry must finish no worse than 23rd at the Wyndham Championship to secure a spot in Memphis.
Photo by Stuart Franklin/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
HOYLAKE, England — Shane Lowry tees off on the 16th hole during Day Two of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 21, 2023.
79. Justin Thomas – United States (546)
Justin Thomas cannot get out of his current slump, as he missed another cut at the 3M Open last week.
He embarrassingly missed the cut at both The Open and the U.S. Open, as he did not look like a two-time major champion during the season’s final two majors.
Looking ahead, Thomas must finish solo 18th or better to make the playoffs, according to Romine.
Although Thomas has missed five cuts dating back to the PGA Championship in May, he did tie for ninth at the Travelers Championship in late June.
A similar performance in Greensboro to the one he had in Connecticut would put him on the right side of the bubble and help quiet his Ryder Cup skeptics.
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
BLAINE, Minn. — Justin Thomas during the second round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 28, 2023.
81. Adam Scott – Australia (517)
Adam Scott has actually had a solid season. But, he has only played in 14 PGA Tour events this season, leaving him outside of the Top 70.
Since the PGA Championship in May, where Scott tied for 29th, the Aussie has played in just five events. The highlight came at The Memorial Tournament, where he tied for ninth.
Scott missed the cut at the U.S. Open and the Genesis Scottish Open but most recently tied for 33rd at The Open.
He also tied for 19th at the Travelers Championship.
Alas, the 2013 Masters Champion must finish in the top 10 at the Wyndham Championship to make the playoffs. With how little he played this season, it honestly might not be of grave concern though.
Photo by Stuart Kerr/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
HOYLAKE, England — Adam Scott makes their way from the 17th green during Day Three of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 22, 2023.
99. Akshay Bhatia – United States (435)
Akshay Bhatia recently defeated Patrick Rodgers in a playoff to win the Barracuda Championship.
But a strange rule prevented Bhatia from getting the FedEx Cup points accompanying a win.
Since he is a special temporary member of the PGA Tour, the tour did not award Bhatia for his victory in California.
This odd circumstance angered many golf fans and Bhatia, who spoke about the matter on Sirius XM last week:
“My agent told me a couple of hours after the [Barracuda] trophy presentation,” Bhatia said. “I was really shocked because my caddie and I talked about going to play Barbasol and Barracuda, and with Special Temporary [status], you’re just trying to win within these next four events to get into the playoffs. That’s the whole goal.”
Bhatia is playing well, but he must win the Wyndham Championship to secure a spot in Memphis. Anything short of that will likely not do the trick.
Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
TRUCKEE, Calif. — Akshay Bhatia poses with the trophy after winning after the final round of the Barracuda Championship at Tahoe Mountain Club on July 23, 2023.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
