The Wyndham Championship is the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, meaning that several big names are heading to Greensboro with their 2020 playing privileges hanging in the balance.
Only the top 125 on the FedExCup points list will advance to next week’s Northern Trust and ensure fully-exempt status for the 2019-20 season. Nos. 126-150 will still retain conditional status next season and likely ensure at least 15 starts, while Nos. 126-200 will be eligible for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals next month, where they can regain full cards for 2020.
It’s a precarious situation for the likes of Daniel Berger, who two years ago was playing on the Presidents Cup team but will tee off at Sedgefield Country Club 131st on the points list. North Carolina native Bill Haas will start an important home game at No. 140, while former NCAA standout Beau Hossler is 142nd. Martin Kaymer, whose five-year exemption for winning the 2014 U.S. Open expires this month, sits at No. 146.
Official PGA Tour statistics, including FedExCup standings
Former Tour winners Harris English (151st), Hudson Swafford (159th) and Hunter Mahan (184th) will all need a big week to crack the top 125. Alex Noren moved to 125th thanks to his T-12 finish at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, while Robert Streb jumped to 124th with a T-3 finish at the Barracuda Championship.
Several players around the bubble can breathe a little easier thanks to the two-year exemption afforded to tournament winners. Austin Cook (No. 126) is exempt for next season, as are Jason Dufner (136th) and Brendan Steele (169th). Zach Johnson (152nd) and Jimmy Walker (155th) are both in the midst of five-year exemptions stemming from their respective major wins in 2015 and 2016.
While the top-125 bubble will receive plenty of attention, another important cutoff looms at No. 200. Those who finish 200th and higher will head to Korn Ferry Finals and are ensured of at least status on the developmental circuit for 2020, while Nos. 201 and below are exempt only into the second stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School.