Big Names Fighting for a Playoff Spot at the Wyndham Championship

I can’t believe we’re already here, but the PGA TOUR’s regular season ends on Sunday. Sure, we have the playoffs to look forward to and the Ryder Cup is on the horizon, but it feels like the golf season is quickly coming to an end.

Don’t love it, to be honest.

But I guess the only thing we can do is enjoy it while it lasts, and it helps that there’s a lot on the line for some of the biggest names in the sport this week at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina.

With playoff spots up for grabs, the field at Sedgefield Country Club is littered with the TOUR’s best. Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matsuyama, Jake Knapp, Luke Clanton, and Akshay Bhatia, among others, are all on Thursday’s tee sheet.

While some of those guys are in the Tar Heel State to prep for the playoffs or better their FedEx Cup ranking, many are there to battle for a spot in next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis—the top 70 in the playoff standings on Sunday afternoon make it to the postseason.

Here are some of the guys battling the playoff bubble.

Big Names Fighting for the Playoffs at the Wyndham Championship

Tony Finau (Current Ranking: 60th)

Big Ton is safe…for now. He’s less than 100 points from No. 71 in the standings, so a missed cut at the Wyndham could end his season. He hasn’t had his best stuff for the last month or so, tying for 66th at the Travelers, for 56th at The Open, and missing the cut at the 3M Open last week. This will be his Wyndham debut.

Rickie Fowler (61st)

Like Finau, an MC for Fowler in Greensboro could be all she wrote. But I’m not too worried about him; he’s been playing some great golf of late. Since the beginning of June, Fowler has finished T-7, T-36, MC, T-18, T-14, and T-28 in his last six starts. However, he has missed the weekend in his last two trips to Sedgefield (2021, 2022).

Adam Scott (85th)

The Aussie is tied for the most playoff appearances since it began in 2007. He’ll need a big week at the Wyndham to set the record. He’s had a decent season, with 13 made cuts in 16 starts. But he’s finished inside the top-25 just five times and hasn’t recorded a top-10 finish. He played at Sedgefield in ‘23 when he was hunting for a playoff spot, and he tied for seventh. And back in ‘21, he lost in a playoff. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he makes a run this weekend.

Tom Kim (89th)

It just hasn’t been a good season for the 23-year-old. He’s struggled with his swing, he’s changed caddies, but nothing's really worked. He did tie for 28th at the 3M Open last week, and his first TOUR win came at the Wyndham in 2022, so maybe he can feed off the vibes. But with three MCs in his last five starts, I’ll be surprised if TK makes a run at the playoffs.

Max Homa (106th)

It feels like Max needs a W to make the playoffs—and I’d love to see it. He hit the ball really well at the 3M Open, but couldn’t get any putts to go—he was 63rd in Strokes Gained: Putting (-1.874). With everything on the line, I trust Max to show he’s got that dawg in him. He’s going to be fun to watch at Sedgefield.