125 players — or something close to that number – teeing it up for the FedExCup playoffs after all.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan made that number clear and will accept between 10 and 12 players outside the usual top 125 in the FedExCup standings to play in the first event of the Tour Championship Series, the FedEx St. Jude Classic, in Memphis August 11.
The announcement is not only good news for the FedEx St. Jude, it is a potential season-saver for players finishing in spots 126 to 137 on the final regular season FedExCup points list.
Although the list is subject to change based on the results, here are the players currently occupying those slots.
126. Webb Simpson
127. Pat Perez (ineligible)
128. Lucas Glover
129. Kevin Tway
130. Nick Taylor
131. Chesson Hadley
132. Kramer Hickok
133. Rickie Fowler
134. Matt Wallace
135. Austin Smotherman
136. Paul Casey (ineligible)
137. Max McGreevy
This list has been created to ensure that suspended members do not negatively affect other players’ tournament eligibility, positioning on the priority rankings or eligibility to compete in the FedExCup playoffs.
The 11 players omitted are Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, Hudson Swafford, Matthew Wolff, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Brooks Koepka, Pat Perez, Jason Kokrak, Charles Howell III and Paul Casey.
Monahan explained that the move had partly been done in the interests of clarity. “We have taken steps to ensure that at the conclusion of the FedExCup regular season and FedExCup playoffs, any suspended players will not negatively impact bonus money distributions. Players will be awarded bonus money based on their final position on the FedExCup playoffs and eligibility points list; suspended members will be awarded bonus money based on their final position on the official FedExCup points list.”
The FedExCup playoffs begin with the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis on 8 August. It then moves on to the BMW Championship in Delaware starting on 15 August and concludes with the Tour Championship in Atlanta between 22 and 28 August.