bubble boys
How every golfer outside the FedEx Cup top 125 (all 69) must finish at Wyndham to qualify for the Playoffs
Matt Kuchar is No. 124 this week on the FedEx Cup points list, trying to stay inside the top-125 to advance to the playoffs.
Christian Petersen/PGA of America
A year ago, Jim Herman did the improbable. Sitting 194th in the FedEx Cup points standings entering the Wyndham Championship, the 43-year-old veteran pulled off an out-of-nowhere win in the PGA Tour’s regular-season finale to leap all the way to 54th in the standings. It was the biggest jump of any player in the history of the Wyndham, moving Herman easily inside the top-125 threshold needed to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Suffice to say, Herman’s feat gives hope to everybody in the Wyndham field this week who is on the outside looking in regarding the Playoffs … all 69 players (including Herman again at 171st). Not everybody needs a win to cross over to the good side of the bubble, but more than a few need to finish near the tippy-top of the leader board to be able to avoid needing to play the Korn Ferry Tour Final Series to get back a card.
Least players get too excited about the prospects of “pulling a Herman,” there’s this statistical reality to consider about 11th-hour miracles: According to the PGA Tour, since 2009 an average of only 2.5 players per year have entered the final round outside the top 125 only to move inside the number with their Wyndham finish.
Indeed, the chances are slim, but there is a chance for all 69 players, according to the tour, which laid out what has to happen for every golfer outside the top 125 to get Playoff eligible. Here’s the path that all the players must take.
In the playoffs if regular season ended today (First number equals FedEx Cup ranking)
119: Brice Garnett
120: C.T. Pan
121: Adam Scott
122: Ryan Armour
123: Patrick Rodgers
124: Matt Kuchar
125: Bo Hoag
Finish needed at Wyndham to move into the top 125
126: Scott Piercy (needs to finish 34th or better)
127: Nate Lashley (23rd)
128: Michael Thompson (21st)
129: Camilo Villegas (21st)
130: Rickie Fowler (21st)
131: Roger Sloan (19th)
132: Chesson Hadley (16th)
133: Cameron Percy (13th)
134: Austin Cook (12th)
135: Chase Seiffert (12th)
136: Tommy Fleetwood (11th)
Top-10 finish
138: Justin Rose
139: Vincent Whaley
Top-six finish
140: Francesco Molinari
141: Rory Sabbatini
142: Ryan Moore
143: Mark Hubbard
144: Joseph Bramlett
Top-five finish
145: Michael Gligic
146: Bo Van Pelt
Top-four finish
147: Beau Hossler
148: Vaughn Taylor
149: Nick Taylor
Top-three finish
150: Satoshi Kodaira
151: Rafael Campos
154: Tom Lewis
156: Andrew Landry
157: Bronson Burgoon
158: Will Gordon
159: Scott Brown
Top-two finish
161: Jason Dufner
162: Rob Oppenheim
163: Kris Ventura
164: Tyler Duncan
166: Robby Shelton
167: Sean O’Hair
168: Padraig Harrington
170: Byeong Hun An
171: Jim Herman
172: Scott Harrington
173: Xinjun Zhang
174: J.J. Spaun
176: Ben Martin
177: Mito Pereira
178: Mark Anderson
179: Kevin Tway
181: Ted Potter, Jr.
183: Luke Donald
184: Ryan Brehm
Win
187: Fabian Gomez
188: Sung Kang
189: D.J. Trahan
191: Rhein Gibson
192: Nelson Ledesma
193: Josh Teater
195: Ben Taylor
196: Bill Haas
197: Sebastian Cappelen
198: Chris Baker
200: Aaron Baddeley
201: Michael Gellerman
202: Nick Watney
204: Kiradech Aphibarnrat
205: David Lingmerth
213: K.J. Choi
214: Michael Kim
220: John Senden
221: Martin Trainer
222: Jonas Blixt