쉴 새 없이 진행되던 4대 메이저가 모두 끝났다. 4개월 안에 4개 메이저를 치른 투어의 페이스가 이제 정규시즌 막바지로 이동한다. 3M Open, Rocket Classic, Wyndham Championship 3경기만 남았고, 그 다음이 곧 FedExCup 플레이오프다.
01플레이오프 진출선 争奪 — 상위 70 경쟁
앞으로 3주가 FedExCup 플레이오프 상위 70 진출을 결정한다. 50위 근처의 선수들이 치열하게 경쟁하는 가운데, 명확한 버블이 형성되었다. 65~75위 즈음에 주목할 선수들이 몰려 있고, 한두 경기의 결과가 시즌 계획을 완전히 뒤집을 수 있다.
02시그니처 이벤트 시드권 — 2027년 로드맵
상위 50 진출의 진정한 의미는 2027년 시그니처 이벤트 전체 일정 보장이다. 2028년 도입될 새 경쟁 체계(PGA TOUR Championship Series)에 진출하려면 2027년 시그니처 이벤트에서 충분한 포인트를 쌓아야 한다. 정규 풀 토너먼트보다 포인트가 많기 때문이다. 상위 50 진출이 못 된다면 2028년의 안전성이 흔들린다.
03프레지던츠컵 선발 — 가능성 vs 기록
BMW 챔피언십 직후 미국 팀의 자동 진출선 6명이 확정되고, 곧 Brandt Snedeker 선발위원장의 캡틴 픽 선언이 나온다. Patrick Cantlay는 선발 여부가 불확실하고, Ryan Gerard 같은 신진 세력이 기회를 호시탐탐하고 있다. 국제팀도 복잡하다. Sungjae Im과 Aldrich Potgieter 같은 기대별들이 톱 12 밖에 있다.
04선수상 경쟁 — Scheffler의 부진, 열린 경쟁
4년 연속 선수상을 휩쓴 Scottie Scheffler가 올해는 1승만 기록했다. 문이 활짝 열렸다. Matt Fitzpatrick는 3승으로 앞서고 있고, Cameron Young, Chris Gotterup, Wyndham Clark도 각 2~3승으로 경쟁 중이다. Rory McIlroy도 마스터즈 우승으로 기회를 봤다. 플레이오프가 진짜 결정 기간이 될 것이다.
05Scheffler의 회복 — 내러티브 변경
시즌 초 The American Express 우승으로 거둔 Scheffler의 1승이 전부다. 여러 번 준우승했지만 메이저는 이 달성하지 못했다. 2023년 이후 처음이다. 8승, 다중 메이저, 커리어 그랜드슬램을 예상했던 관계자들의 기대는 흔들렸다. 3M Open은 Scheffler의 마지막 조정 기회고, 플레이오프 전 기세를 살릴 수 있는 판이다. 지난 2년처럼 플레이오프의 한 경기를 우승한다면 내러티브가 바뀔 수 있다.
06Original (English) — PGA TOUR
The fast and furious major championship season has come to an end.
All four majors were contested within four months, and now the calendar and focus shift toward the season's conclusion. Three Regular Season events – 3M Open, Rocket Classic and Wyndham Championship – remain in the Regular Season. From there, the PGA TOUR's very best will move forward to the FedExCup Playoffs.
So what's on the line the next few weeks? The top players are jockeying for postseason positioning along with the rank-and-file of the PGA TOUR, who are also looking to secure valuable points to maintain TOUR membership.
What should you be following as the next phase of the season gets underway? Here are five top storylines we will be tracking over the next two months.
The playoff push is on. Only the top 70 will make it to the FedEx St. Jude Championship, with the next three weeks playing a pivotal role in who will qualify. Who can nab the most points in the next few weeks? It could change the entire tenor of careers.
Here's a look at where the top-70 bubble sits with three weeks left in the Regular Season:
65. Michael Kim
66. Jordan Smith
67. Michael Thorbjornsen
68. Andrew Putnam
69. Ricky Castillo
70. Mac Meissner
71. Johnny Keefer
72. Jason Day
73. Keegan Bradley
74. Brian Harman
75. Tom Hoge
Other notables on the outside of the postseason picture include: Brooks Koepka (82nd), Tony Finau (83rd), Andrew Novak (84th), Billy Horschel (101st), Michael Brennan (105th), Joel Dahmen (114th), Rasmus Højgaard (123rd).
Look a little higher on the FedExCup standings and the next critical race crystallizes. The top 50 in the FedExCup after the FedEx St. Jude Championship will make it to the next round of the postseason, the BMW Championship.
Those 50 will also lock up critical access to the Signature Events in 2027, which could be even more important than any year before.
With the PGA TOUR's new competitive structure set to take effect in 2028, assuring you have the best chance to qualify for PGA TOUR Championship Series is paramount. The best way to do that is to make sure you are playing in every Signature Event next year, which offers more FedExCup points than Full-Field Events. If you are not in those events, you have an uphill climb to safely secure a spot for the inaugural year of the new format.
Here's where the top-50 bubble sits with four events left before the BMW Championship:
45. Matt McCarty
46. Keith Mitchell
47. Alex Noren
48. Harris English
49. Max Homa
50. Maverick McNealy
51. Pierceson Coody
52. Sudarshan Yellamaraju
53. Sam Stevens
54. Daniel Berger
55. Jordan Spieth
56. Shane Lowry
57. Sungjae Im
58. Corey Conners
59. Nick Taylor
60. Harry Hall
Who will be part of the Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club in September? The six automatic qualifiers for both teams will be locked during/immediately after the FedExCup Playoffs. The U.S. Team's top six will lock the Monday after the BMW Championship, while the Internationals will solidify their team the day after the TOUR Championship. The final six captain's selections will be announced at a later date.
So how are the rosters shaping up with roughly a month to go? Here is the top 12 for each team.
*Denotes auto qualifier
Who can make a late move and break into the top six or top 12? U.S. national team stalwart Patrick Cantlay is on the outside looking in, as are in-form newcomers like Ryan Gerard. Likewise, Sungjae Im is not on the projected International Team roster and neither is reigning Rookie of the Year Aldrich Potgieter.
The wide-open Player of the Year Race continues to intrigue. Scottie Scheffler has won the award four straight years, but with only one win under his belt in 2026, the door is open for a new winner. Here are the possible candidates:
● Matt Fitzpatrick: Three wins (Valspar Championship, RBC Heritage, Zurich Classic of New Orleans); eight top 10s; FedExCup rank: second; Best major finish: T14, PGA Championship
● Cameron Young: Two wins (THE PLAYERS Championship, Cadillac Championship), seven top 10s; FedExCup rank: third; Best major finish: Runner-up, The Open Championship (also finished T3 at Masters)
● Chris Gotterup: Three wins (Sony Open in Hawaii, WM Phoenix Open, John Deere Classic); five top 10s; FedExCup rank: fifth; Best major finish: T10, PGA Championship
● Wyndham Clark: Two wins (CJ CUP Byron Nelson, U.S. Open), four top 10s; FedExCup rank: fourth; Best major finish: first, U.S. Open
● Scottie Scheffler: One win (The American Express), 10 top 10s; FedExCup rank: first; Best major finish: second, Masters (also two T4s at U.S. Open and Open)
● Rory McIlroy: One win (Masters Tournament); four top 10s; FedExCup rank: 11th; Best major finish: first, Masters
The race appears incredibly tight and the FedExCup Playoffs will likely play a prominent role in how it all shakes out. If any of them can pick off one (or two) events in the postseason, it likely pushes them over the edge.
When Scheffler won his season debut running away at The American Express, no prediction seemed too outlandish. Eight wins? Multiple majors? The career Grand Slam? All of it?
Instead, Scheffler is still stuck with one win. He went without a major championship victory for the first time since 2023. He's still the world No. 1 by a considerable margin, but expectations internal and external were higher than this.
How much can he shift the narrative over the final stretch? He's teeing it up in the 3M Open this week and is the clear favorite at TPC Twin Cities. That will be his final start before the three-week postseason, which he has won a leg of in the last two seasons. It's entirely probable Scheffler could still win multiple events before he takes a break this fall. What happens if he doesn't?
