The first FedEx Cup playoff event of the postseason, Justin Rose ruled JJ Span on top in the dramatic playoffs at the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship, but not where the drama ended Sunday at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. While his eyes were trapped at the top of the leaderboard, the famous name was entitled to next week’s BMW Championship and robbed it near the bottom by those who compiled enough points to finish the weekend in the top 50 of the FedEx Cup standings that extended the season.
The Top 50 not only serves as a cutoff to continue in the postseason, but also qualifies for the following year’s signature event. Those who participated in the BMW Championship simultaneously qualified all eight signature events where wallets and height FedEx Cup Points will be awarded, giving players a built-in moat to build a 2026 schedule.
“Well, I’ve got a handful of spots this year, so I’m very grateful. Unfortunately, I didn’t take advantage of many opportunities until Jack’s event,” said Ricky Fowler, who rose to the top 50 thanks to a T6 finish at the St. Jude Championship. “I didn’t play that well on any of them, and I didn’t really get the ones that high fields and maybe more points.
“But it was great to have them tea time this year and I really didn’t want to bank about it next year. Yeah, I’m happy that we’re back to them and don’t need to go back to them and write notes and call for the benefits.”
Let’s take a look at how people who were plagued by the bubble in Memphis this week were transported. Please check The top 30 rankings of the FedEx Cup have been updated.who will qualify for the Tour Championship if they stay in the spot next week.
Players who have moved into the top 50
| 37th (+15) | Kurt Kitayama | T9 | No. 52 |
| 46th (+7) | Budkorey | T14 | No. 53 |
| 48th (+6) | Ricky Fowler | T6 | No. 64 |
| 49th (+10) | Jonattan Vegas | T14 | 59 days |
| 50 days (+1) | jt poston | T22 | 51st |
Fowler was the biggest mover of the week. The former athletes’ championship winners were barely among the top 70, but it’s important to be in that number. His T6 finish – doubled his best results for the season – given the height of the FedEx Cup points available, it was not possible to come at a better time. Fowler missed the playoffs completely in 2024.
Meanwhile, Vegas was slow to wobble around the bubble and unfortunately appeared to be about to fall on the wrong side. After four bogeys on the first 10 holes on Sunday, he played the final eight holes at 3 under and punched the ticket next week. He now plays himself in the top 30 and is about to qualify for the Tour Championship for the first time since 2017.
“It was a fight. It was one of the toughest rounds of the year that I say,” he said. “I didn’t feel good physically. It was a long week. The heat, everything. I didn’t feel 100%. I started rocking the first six holes. I knew my best wasn’t there, so I had to just fight, so I had to grab my heart to the right frame.
“Fortunately, I did (i) and made a great birdie with 7 and 8. That kind of ship was pointing in the right direction. But it was a fight all the time. I knew that kind of thing today.
Players who have moved outside the top 50
| 52nd (-9) | Aldrich Potgieter | T59 | No. 43 |
| 54th (-6) | Jordan Spieth | T38 | No. 48 |
| 55th (-8) | Jake Nap | T62 | 47 days |
| 56th (-7) | Wyndham Clark | T56 | 49 days |
| 57th (-7) | difficult | T66 | 50 days |
Some serious star power is left on the sidelines for the final two weeks of the playoffs as Potgieter was shy to knock his way into the BMW Championship field. South Africa was the only rookie to make the FedEx Cup playoffs, and even his final hole birdie wasn’t enough to extend his season.
Unfortunately, major champions like Spieth and Clark have also fallen to the wrong side of the numbers. Spieth was fighting the bubble for most of Sunday before the second shot to hole 72 found water and eventually sinked his chances. The three-time major champion misses a second straight BMW Championship, but Clark finishes eighth solo and misses the season finale after his third solo finish in the last two years.
Lee entered that week Bubble Boy, and he was immediately looking to people outside with some hope when his name fell to the bottom of the leaderboard on Thursday. He never went into the air at TPC Southwind and played the final round in 2 hours and 10 minutes, making it a disappointing trip to the playoffs rather than a quick one.
