FedExCup 플레이오프가 시작되는 이번 주는 상위 50명만 다음 라운드로 진출한다. 평균적으로 4~5명이 매년 이 경계선에서 떨어진다. 시그니처 이벤트의 2027년 시드권도 여기서 결정된다.
01Jordan Spieth — 2년 연속 Memphis에서 탈락
Spieth는 지난 2년 연속으로 멤피스에서 시즌을 마감했다(54위, 67위). 이번엔 생존해야 한다. 올해 정규 시즌을 통틀어 톱 10이 없는 유일한 플레이오프 진출자라는 기이한 통계가 그의 위기를 드러낸다. 생존하려면 결국 그가 하지 못한 톱 10을 이곳에서 해내야 한다.
02Max Homa — 부진 후 부상 복귀
2025 시즌이 좋지 못했던 Homa는 현재 50위 근처다. 다행히 지난 6경기 중 3경기에서 상위 25 성적을 냈고, John Deere Classic에선 준우승도 했다. 생존선은 좀 더 관대하지만 여전히 조심스럽다.
03Shane Lowry — 2월의 붕괴에서 회복 못함
Lowry는 2월 Cognizant Classic 말미에 리드를 지킨 후 이후 부진으로 회복하지 못했다. 초반 3경기 톱 25와 2경기 톱 10으로 잘 시작했지만, PGA National 붕괴 이후 3경기 톱 25만 기록했다. 시그니처 이벤트 전체 일정을 놓칠 위기까지 안고 있다.
04Sungjae Im — 7년 연속 투어 챔피언십 스트릭 위기
Im은 경력 전체에서 매 시즌 투어 챔피언십에 진출하는 놀라운 일관성을 유지 중이다. 하지만 올해 초 손목 부상으로 2개월 실종되면서 따라잡기에 바쁘다. 최근 4경기 중 3경기에서 톱 15 성적을 냈으니 가능성은 있다. 생존하려면 또 다른 톱 15가 필요하다.
05Jackson Koivun — 신데렐라 루키의 도박
윈덤 챔피언십에서 마지막 플레이오프 자리를 겨우 거머쥔 Koivun. 이제 사냥꾼이 되어야 한다. 현재 70위에서 시작해 Maverick McNealy(50위)를 잡아야 한다. 올해 유일한 우승이 3M Open에서 Scheffler를 이긴 것이라는 점을 감안하면, 기적은 반복되기 힘들다. 다만 프레지던츠컵 선발을 노린다면 상위 50 진출이 필수다.
06Original (English) — PGA TOUR
The postseason gets underway this week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind, and while the 69-man field is happy to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs, the stakes only ramp up from here.
Only 50 players will move on to next week's BMW Championship. That has immediate postseason implications as players continue their push to East Lake and winning the season-ending TOUR Championship, but it also has serious ramifications for next year. Every player who reaches the BMW Championship will also lock their place into every Signature Event in 2027.
Since 2019, an average of 4.3 players have moved in and out at Memphis each year, but with a reduced points structure in the Playoffs (750 points to the winner of each of the first two legs), expect less movement than in previous seasons.
Which top players will be trying to push their way into the top 50? Here are five notables.
Can Jordan Spieth keep his season from ending in Memphis for the third consecutive year?
Spieth is familiar with this position. He finished 54th and 67th in the last two seasons, unable to produce a top week at TPC Southwind to reach the top 50 and move on. At least he's familiar with the pressure.
Spieth's season could be best described as weird. He has played steady enough golf to reach this point, but has rarely amassed a week that will be remembered. In fact, per CBS's Patrick McDonald, Spieth is the only player who qualified for the FedEx St. Jude Championship who did not card a top 10 in the Regular Season.
That's the ironic part. To advance to the BMW Championship in St. Louis, he will need to be sniffing around the top 10. The minimum finish to give himself a chance is solo 23rd, but he will likely need better than that. No better time than the present to grab his first top 10 and keep his season alive.
Back in the Playoffs after a poor 2025, Homa has one of the more attainable paths to the BMW with only two players to pass. Still, that requires at least a two-way tie for 25th. The good news is that Homa has achieved that result in three of his last six starts, including a runner-up finish at the John Deere Classic.
Homa isn't back to his peak form from a few years ago, but he's in a much better place than he has been recently. Yet, given the up-and-down nature of his recent seasons, securing top-50 status and Signature Event starts would be a massive help.
Homa finished sixth in Memphis in 2023, though he's had more poor weeks than good ones at the venue. That's largely emblematic of his last few years, but the good continues to show itself more and more.
Shane Lowry hasn't been the same since he failed to convert his late lead at The Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches in February. He had carded three straight top 25s to begin his year, including two top 10s to start his season. But since that collapse at PGA National, Lowry has had only three top 25s the rest of the season and no finishes better than a T11.
Lowry will need to flip that momentum if his season is to continue. He has also never fallen out of favor with the Signature Events. Barring a strong week in Memphis, Lowry will miss out on a full schedule of Signature Events for the first time since they debuted.
One of the most remarkable and under-discussed streaks in pro golf is Sungjae Im's insistence on reaching the TOUR Championship every season. He's made it to East Lake every season of his career, a seven-year run that's on the precipice of ending.
Im will have a built-in excuse if the streak ends this week. He was out for the first two months of the year with a wrist injury and has been playing catch-up ever since. Still, Im is making a late push. He has three top 15s in his last four starts, which has put him within range to keep his season alive. He likely needs another top 15 this week at TPC Southwind.
Can the Cinderella rookie season continue?
Koivun clung to the last Playoffs spot at the Wyndham Championship, which was up for grabs until the very end. Now he's the hunter instead of the hunted. Koivun will be trying to chase down Maverick McNealy (No. 50) and has the most ground to make up in the entire field, entering at 70th in the FedExCup. Koivun needs to finish in at least a two-way tie for seventh to have a chance. He's bettered that in only one start this year – his win against Scottie Scheffler at the 3M Open.
Whether Koivun can keep his season alive has broader implications than just the postseason. If he hopes to convince U.S. Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker that he's deserving of a captain's pick, it's likely he needs to advance to the BMW Championship and keep building his resume. If Koivun can string together another top result, the hype train may run out of open seats.
