There was plenty of drama in Memphis on Sunday at TPC Southwind. Justin Rose outlasted J.J. Spaun in a sudden-death playoff but the tournament within the tournament was equally thrilling.
Only the top 50 in the FedEx Cup Standings advanced to the second of three legs of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the BMW Championship, which takes place next week in Maryland. But even more importantly, the top 50 automatically qualify for all eight signature events in 2026. It’s a huge head start to making it back to the top 50. Just ask Chris Kirk, who hit into the water at 15 and made bogey to fall outside the top 50. He made birdie at 18 but it wasn’t enough. He improved from No. 61 entering the week to No. 51 but ended up being the first man out.
Let’s take a look at who moved in and who had their season come to an unceremonious end.
Who’s in the top 50 for the BMW Championship
37. Kurt Kitayama
He started the week at No. 52 but closed in style, sinking a 38-foot birdie putt at 18.
“I was just trying to lag it up there. I saw I was kind of 44, 45 (in the FedEx Cup standings) and I figured a par would be good,” he explained. “I just hit it with good speed, and it just went in. Kind of took a lot more pressure off.”
Did it ever. Kitayama closed with 7-under 63, including an eagle at 15, and came home in 31. The birdie at the last lifted Katayama to No. 37 in the season-long standings. It’s all the more impressive considering that he stood No. 103 before winning the 3M Open in late July.
46. Bud Cauley
Cauley said that the final round in Memphis reminded him of how he felt early in the year when he was trying to fulfill his medical exemption.
“It was stressful today,” he admitted.
Cauley, who started the week at No. 53, came up with one of the clutch shots of the day, holing a bunker shot for birdie at 17 to give himself a cushion.
“That hole has been kind of kicking my ass all week,” Cauley said. “It really wasn’t that difficult of a bunker shot. Kind of uphill. The green was pitched into me. I just kind of got lucky it happened to go in.”
He closed in 69 to finish at 8-under 272. He did most of his damage on Thursday, posting an opening-round 64. It marks his first season back inside the top 100 in the season-long points standing since 2020. Cauley still has work to do next week to play his way into the Tour Championship for the first time in his career but that dream remains alive.
48. Rickie Fowler
Fowler was in, he was out, and he was the Bubble Boy at some point during the final round.
After starting the week at No. 64, he jumped to the right side of the cutoff on Saturday and then hung on for dear life. He birdied the first and sixth on the front nine but those circles on the card was canceled out by two boxes at Nos. 5 and 7. Those proved to be the lone bogeys of the day. He skated along thanks to a bunch of pars and got the birdie he desperately needed at the par-5 15th and closed with pars to shoot 1-under 69 and finish
“I knew basically where I needed to be,” Fowler said. “I knew I needed to be inside the top 10 and I knew there was a chance that it could come down to my playing partner, Kirky and I. Not that we were necessarily playing a head-to-head match. We both wanted to play better than we did.”
49. Jhonattan Vegas
Vegas started the week at No. 56 and had to grind out a final round that included six birdies and four bogeys. He finished T-14 at 8-under 272. “It was a fight. It was one of the hardest rounds of the year I would say,” he said.
His final birdie at 17 lifted him to No. 49 and on to the BMW Championship.
50. J.T. Poston
Poston made the BMW for the fourth straight year, improving from 51 to 50 and being the last man in the field next week at Caves Valley. For Poston, who shot 68 and finished T-22, Sunday’s final round reminded him of trying to win a tournament down the stretch.
“It just felt like the same type of nerves. You just know what’s at stake getting into that top 50 and what that does for your year next year, and you’re one good week from making it to East Lake,” he said. “It’s a big deal making it to the BMW.”
Who missed out of top 50 for the BMW Championship
52. Aldrich Potgieter
The 20-year-old South African started the week at 43rd but stumbled in Memphis finishing T-59 and dropped to No. 52. He closed with 67 but it wasn’t enough. Still, a very impressive rookie season, which included a win at the Rocket Classic.
54. Jordan Spieth
Spieth, who entered the week at No. 48, started the final round at No. 50 and rode a wave of emotions as he tried to stay there. A bogey at the last hole sealed his fate. He closed in 2-under 68 and finished T-38. It means he’ll need to rely on sponsor invites again next season as he did this year and he won’t have a chance to make another good impression for the Ryder Cup team.
55. Jake Knapp
Knapp was No. 47 entering the week but didn’t have it this week. He finished T-59 and tumbled to No. 55.
56. Wyndham Clark
The 2023 U.S. Open champ made a late rally to make the top 70 and started the week at No. 49. But he shot 72-75 on the weekend to finish T-56 and dropped out of the top 50.
57. Min Woo Lee
The Aussie started the week as the Bubble Boy at 50 and struggled out of the gate, shooting 76. He closed with 70 but tied for last at 10-over 290. He’ll be disappointed to be on the outside looking in again for signature events but did notch his first Tour title in Houston.
Final bubble for FedEx Cup Playoffs top 50
46. Bud Cauley
47. Tom Hoge
48. Rickie Fowler
49. Jhonattan Vegas
50. J.T. Poston
51. Chris Kirk
52. Aldrich Potgieter
53. Aaron Rai
54. Jordan Spieth
55. Jake Knapp
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