In the FedExCup rankings or playing one's way into (or, on the other hand, out of) the playoffs, this week is primarily about vying for position. However, for those athletes who don't have the luxury of continuing to play on the Tour after this season, their careers may be in jeopardy after this week.
Not all players inside and outside that No. 125 slot will be battling it out in Greensboro, according to the FedExCup bubble picture, which has been impacted this year by LIV Golf players losing their Tour membership or being dropped from the points list. For instance, No. 123. If Rickie Fowler needs to use any exemptions, his entire card is secured through the upcoming season and probably longer. The same is true for Harris English (182) and Cameron Champ (130), who missed a large portion of this season due to injuries.
But what about the players who must win this week or risk losing most, if not all, of their Tour eligibility?
FEC's current standing is 122.
To finish in the top 125, you must: presently in
He is remorseful now that the Travelers lost in the playoffs last year. The Texas product, who is in his fourth year on the Tour after almost losing his card in 2019 (KFT Finals) and 2020 (pandemic), received significant assistance from his only fourth-place finish in Houston in the fall. He should be able to keep his card and make the playoffs, but he hasn't been in the top 60 of a non-opposite-field event since March.
FEC's current standing is 124.
To finish in the top 125, you must: presently in
After the 2018–19 season, when he tied for third at the PGA, shared 12th at the U.S. Open, and climbed into the top 25, the Englishman received his Tour card as a non–member. He is currently ranked No. 157 in the OWGR and has yet to finish higher than No. 111 in the FedExCup. He is just under the cut line going into Wyndham after 20 races this season, including two top-10 finishes and 11 missed cuts.
FEC position right now: 125
To finish in the top 125, you must: The Tour rookie, who is now playing for Bryson DeChambeau's last team at SMU, has had a solid first season with six top-25 finishes, including a recent solo ninth at the Barracuda. He has also completed 16 of the 24 cuts, gradually advancing to the 125th spot in the points standings. A few more points this week will be helpful for him because he has no room for error.
FEC position right now: 126
To place in the top 125, you must place 46th or above.
The former Oklahoma Sooner is a Tour rookie like Smotherman, but unlike Smotherman, he has gained most of his points by finishing second at the Puerto Rico Open. He finishes outside the top 125 and doesn't have the best of forms going into Wyndham after missing six of his previous seven cuts.
FEC's current standing is 127.
To place in the top 125, you must place 44th or above.
Okay, so a bad week won't entirely remove Willett off the Tour, but if it does, the 2016 Masters champion, whose five-year exemption from that victory expires this year, will have to play in the KFT Finals or the Nos. 126-150 division next season - or return to the DP World Tour full-time. This week marks Willett's 21st tournament of the season; the most starts he has made since joining the Tour, but he only has one top-10 to show for it.
FEC's current standing is 129.
To break the top 125, you must place 31st or higher.
Talk about poor luck: Hardy's rookie Tour season got off to a terrible start, and he then missed roughly a month due to a wrist injury. With three top-15 finishes in his previous six Tour outings, the young prospect from Illinois has recently been playing considerably better. He led the U.S. Open for a brief while until tying for 14th.
Position in the FEC currently: 131 Position to finish in to break top 125: 27th or better.
Although he had to keep his card through the KFT Finals last year, the 2011 U.S. Amateur champion has impressively played six straight seasons on the Tour. Given that he has only made ten cuts up until this week, he may need to do that again if he wants to avoid playing in the Nos. 126–150 group.
Position in FEC currently: 135 Position needed to break top 125: 18th or better.
Who knew that Trainer would still be clinging to his exempt status after winning the 2019 Puerto Rico Open? Trainer has only cracked the top 18 three times this season and hasn't since a T-11 at the Mexico Open in May; therefore, his two-year exemption that became a three-year exemption has already expired.
John Higgs (138)
Position in the FEC currently: 138 Position needed to break the top 125: 13th or better.
If only athletes received FedExCup points for popular performances. Higgs only had three top-15 finishes this season, albeit two of those were at the Masters (T-14) and CJ Cup, a year after making it to the BMW Championship (T-9).
140th in the FEC now; 9th or better needed to break the top 125
The Silver Slovak used his lifetime exemption for prize money this year and only managed to place one spot higher than T-25 in the Shriners Open in the fall. Unless he does well at KFT Finals, he'll probably play next season in the Nos. 126-150 category if he doesn't make the playoffs.
FEC's current standing is 151.
Finishing fourth or better is required to break the top 125.
Haas used his lifetime money exemption this season, like Sabbatini, so he'll need to at least cut to have a chance of cracking the top 150. If he doesn't, the three-time Presidents Cup winner and 2011 FedExCup champion will compete in the KFT Finals and, in the worst-case scenario, should be in a respectable place in the reshuffle for categories 34–39, which includes previous champions and other Tour veterans. He skipped five of his last six classes going into this week.
FEC's current standing is 159.
A finish of third or better is required to break the top 125.
The former world No. 1 and newly appointed European Ryder Cup captain only achieved one top-20 finish this season despite competing on a career money exemption. It was a T-16 at one of his favorite competitions, the Valspar. He has a chance to enter the top 125 this week, and if not, he'll be in a position similar to Haas', but he'll be spending his leisure time training for Italy in September 2023.
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