윈덤 챔피언십이 PGA 투어 정규시즌의 마지막 관문이다. 상위 70명만 FedExCup 플레이오프에 진출한다. 여러 빅네임들이 지금 이 경계에 있고, 일부는 경력 사상 처음 플레이오프를 놓칠 위기에 처했다.
01Jackson Koivun — 신인의 줄타기
프로 경력 4번의 스타트 만에 3M Open 우승으로 플레이오프 마지막 자리를 확보한 기적의 신인 Koivun. 하지만 그 자리는 매우 불안정하다. 12포인트 앞선 상태에서 71위 Mac Meissner는 44위 타이만 해도 Koivun을 제칠 수 있다. Koivun은 또 다른 우수한 성적이 필수다.
02Keegan Bradley — 하강하는 베테랑
16년 경력의 Bradley가 경력 사상 처음 플레이오프를 놓칠 위기에 직면했다. 정규시즌 초반 모멘텀을 잃었지만 최근 6경기 중 톱 25가 6경기로 올라오고 있다. 생존하려면 38위 타이 이상이 필요한데, 생존선이 비교적 관대한 편이다.
03Jason Day — 부상의 타이밍
U.S. Open 때문에 조기 종료한 허리 부상이 Day의 플레이오프 진출도 흔들고 있다. 19년 투어 경력에서 처음 플레이오프를 놓칠 위험이다. 건강 상태가 결정적이다. 건강하다면 12위 타이 이상의 성적이 필요하다.
04Brooks Koepka — 부활의 계절
메이저 챔피언 Koepka가 복귀 첫 시즌에 플레이오프 진출이 위기다. 최근 Rocket Classic 직전에도 기권했고, 건강 상태가 불확실하다. 생존하려면 4위 이상의 극악의 성적이 필수다. 만약 진출한다면 Returning Member Program에 따라 멤피스 필드가 71명으로 확대될 것이다.
05Tony Finau — 11년 연속 기록 위기
Finau는 11년 연속 플레이오프 진출이라는 놀라운 일관성을 유지해왔다. 하지만 올해 89위까지 떨어졌다. 올해 최고 성적이 톱 6 타이라는 점에서 생존은 현실적이지 않다. 3위 타이 이상이 필요한데, 그것도 역부족이다.
06Original (English) — PGA TOUR
It's put up or shut up time at the Wyndham Championship, the last stop on the PGA TOUR regular season calendar.
Only the top 70 will advance to the FedExCup Playoffs next week. The rest of the membership will watch from the sidelines and bide their time before the start of the FedExCup Fall in mid-September.
Which big names are at risk of missing the Playoffs, many for the first time? Let's go through the notables fighting for their postseason lives this week at Sedgefield Country Club.
It's a testament to Koivun that he's even in contention to make the playoffs with only four pro starts under his belt. Koivun fast-tracked his progression by outdueling Scottie Scheffler at the 3M Open and holds the last spot in the FedExCup Playoffs with a week to play.
It's a great place to be, but a tenuous one.
The 21-year-old is the target for a majority of the field looking to supplant him in the standings. So, while Koivun could theoretically miss the cut this week and still make the Playoffs if those behind him faltered, that's neither likely nor desired. Instead, Koivun will need to string together another strong performance.
Sandwiched on either side of his win, Koivun finished T10 at the ISCO Championship and T31 at the Rocket Classic. He will be kicking himself for a pair of late bogeys at Detroit Golf Club that knocked him out of a tie for 20th. Had he held his position, Koivun would have earned an additional 17 FedExCup points and valuable breathing room. Now, he holds only a 12-point advantage over No. 71 Mac Meissner, who could surpass Koivun with a solo 44th finish.
Bradley is part of a pack of veterans trying to avoid missing the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time in their careers. The 16-year pro sits just outside the bubble with one of the easier pathways in, needing at minimum a two-way tie for 38th to move inside the top-70 threshold.
Bradley has steadily climbed out of an early-season hole. He fell outside the top 120 just after THE PLAYERS Championship but has amassed six top-25 finishes since, including a T15 at last week's Rocket Classic. That moved Bradley closer to the bubble, but he still has work to do.
Bradley has only four starts at the Wyndham Championship and has finished better than 40th only once, including a missed cut last year. He will need to improve that form if he hopes to continue his season and Playoffs streak.
Health is the predominant question for Day with the Wyndham Championship on the horizon. The Australian has withdrawn from each of the last two events before teeing off as he continues to deal with a back injury that forced him to end his U.S. Open early. The ill-timed injury might cost him a playoff spot, too.
Like Bradley, Day has never missed the FedExCup Playoffs. But in his 19th season, he's on the cusp of ending prematurely. It will require phenomenal golf, even if he is healthy enough to tee it up. He needs, at minimum, a two-way tie for 12th to jump into the top 70.
Can Koepka make it back to the Playoffs in his first season back on TOUR? It's a tall task for the American, who will need at least a solo fourth finish if he hopes to continue his season. He also withdrew ahead of the Rocket Classic for unspecified reasons, casting some uncertainty over his availability for the final tournament of the regular season.
Another interesting note to follow. If Koepka does push himself inside the top 70, it would expand the field at TPC Southwind next week. Under the guidelines of the Returning Member Program, the field would be expanded to 71 if Koepka qualifies.
Finau rounds out the trio of veterans trying to avoid the first missed postseason of their career. He has been a constant deep into the Playoffs, with 11 straight postseason appearances, including eight trips to East Lake.
That streak is in peril. Currently 89th in the FedExCup, Finau requires at least a two-way tie for third to sneak into the top 70, but he has finished no better than tied for sixth at any point this season.
