Tommy Fleetwood is the first man out of the top going into this week.
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Not only did the first week of the FedEx Cup Playoffs produce high drama for the player who lifted the trophy, but there was also a big move towards the other end of the standings as to who won and who didn't win this week's BMW Championship. .
Overall, while it looked like a lot by several points, only three players – Viktor Hovland, Eric Cole and Nick Dunlap – made it past the coveted 50 in the rankings. Three in, three – Tom Kim, Mackenzie Hughes and Jake Knapp – moved, Kim did so in spectacular fashion, making six in the last three holes to become the first man.
Others, such as Keegan Bradley, have recently clinched the BMW Championship, and by extension, all eight Signature events for next year. Bradley entered the week 39th in the standings and finished T59 at Memphis, but that was enough to keep him the last man in the field at Castle Pines.
The PGA Tour's highest-earning cut just happened. Who missed out?
James Colgan
Colleague James Colgan summed up what it means now to achieve that top 50 group, but what comes next is still the big prize of a place in the Tour Championship. In addition to entry into the Signature Events, Tour Championship participants receive a two-year exemption from the Tour, entry into the Masters and, typically, spots in the US Open and Open Championship. Not to mention they're chasing a spot in the Tour Championship's unique staggered-stroke format where they'll play for the FedEx Cup's now $100 million bonus pool.
This season, based on the current standings, the top 19 players in the BMW Championship are locked in Atlanta next week, and according to our friends at Data Golf, another four players have at least a 98% chance of advancing. East Lake.
That leaves us with 27 players continuing this week in Colorado. Continue reading below for more on this week's FedEx Cup Playoffs bubble at the BMW Championship.
BMW Championship top 30 bubble
No. 25 Jason Day: It was a timely return to last year's FedEx Cup top 50 with Day's first win in five years in Dallas. While he hasn't been as high as 2023, Day has quietly racked up four top 10s and eight top 25s this year, not counting a T9 at the Olympics.
No. 29 Brian Harman: Last year's Golf Champion of the Year has also been silent in 2023. He's made the cut in all but two of his starts this season and hasn't played since the Masters and has racked up 25 top-10 finishes, but just three top-10 finishes.
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No. 30 Denny McCarthy: This week's bubble boy is probably one of the most dangerous players on Tour, especially after he put in some of the best performances on the PGA Tour heading into the Valero Texas Open this spring. McCarthy has been in the top 40 at the FedEx Cup the past two seasons, but the 31-year-old has never been to East Lake.
No. 31 Tommy Fleetwood: The Olympic silver medalist has been inconsistent all season, missing just two cuts, but has been limited to just 17 PGA Tour appearances. He will need a strong week to have a chance to repeat last year's 6th place finish at the FedEx Cup.
No. 32 Chris Kirk: Kirk looked to take his game to the next level as he pulled off a stunning season-opening victory over Sentry to become the first FedEx Cup leader of the season. Since then, he has recorded one top 10 and his best finish this summer was a T26 at the US Open.
No. 35 Stephan Jaeger: The only man to take down Scottie Scheffler in March and April never had a second half of the season to match his strong opener. He entered the playoffs missing three of the last four and finished T40 last week in Memphis.
No. 36 Matt Fitzpatrick: The Brit has competed in the last two Tour Championships (9th in 2023, 15th in 2022), but hasn't come close to the top of the leaderboard since finishing T5 at the Memorial. A wrist injury forced him out of the Olympics, but he rebounded at the T18 in Memphis. He may need to do better this week.
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No. 37 Will Zalatoris: Zalatoris has been coming back from injury this season after opening the year with three top-10s in his five starts from Genesis to the Masters. Then he had a flare-up in June and WD'd from Rocket Mortgage and missed his next three cuts. He seemed to find some form last week at his first site in Memphis. Zalatoris also hasn't made it to East Lake since getting injured shortly after his FedEx St. Louis win. Jude in 2022.
No. 39 Cameron Young: Young added another runner-up finish this season to his seven career finishes, the most of anyone in the last 40 years, and six top-10 finishes. He missed only one cut all year. So why is he so far down the list? In his 12 non-top 25 starts, he finished outside the top 50 halftime.
No. 41 Adam Scott: Scott feels confident he will be at all eight Signature Events next season after requiring sponsor exemptions for five of them this year. His game also seems to be picking up at the right time, as he has finished 2nd, T10 and T18 in his last three starts, the first two of his first 10 starts since February.
No. 43 Max Homa: While Homa was one bad break from giving Scottie Scheffler a run at the Masters, it looked like he would go on a three-year run that saw him win five times. However, he has only recorded one top 10 finish and died last week in Memphis.
He hit the shot so badly, it missed the lake. He is in second place
Jack Hirsh
No. 48 Nick Dunlap: Dunalp is in a tough heater to close the season. He got his second win at the Baracuda Championship (and first gave him FedEx Cup points) and was in the picture for most of the week in Memphis to earn a spot in the top 50.
No. 50 Keegan Bradley: Next year's Ryder Cup captain is keen to thank Tom Kim for his BMW. His two second-place finishes against Sony and Fort Worth are his only top-10 finishes this season, but he'll likely need at least a third if he's going to move on to Atlanta.
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