FedExCup update: Adam Scott's 16-year Playoffs streak comes to an end

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Adam Scott walked off Sedgefield Country Club on Saturday frustrated. After making five bogeys on the back nine – including three straight to end his round, on a course where the field went under par – Scott found himself tied for 34th at the Wyndham Championship. He was projected at No. 84 in the FedExCup standings and 13 strokes behind the leaders.

But he hit the refresh button on Sunday, carding eight birdies to just one bogey in a round of 7-under 63. In stark contrast to Saturday, his back nine featured a heroic run that included back-to-back birdie putts on Nos. 16 and 17 from 36 and 17 feet, respectively.

So what went differently? He's honestly not sure.

"I didn't play well on Friday and Saturday tee-to-green, didn't feel amazing, so I didn't really have any expectations,” Scott said Sunday. “That might have been a good thing for a good score. I wish I knew what I was doing, but I don't."

Whatever the difference-maker was, Scott seemed to be an unstoppable force on Sunday. He striped approaches to 8, 13 and 4 feet on holes 1, 3 and 9, respectively. His lone bogey came at the par-4 second after three-putting from 31 feet. Making the turn in 3 under, he went on to birdie holes 13, 14, 16 and 17 for a back-nine 31.

The 43-year-old Scott took just 28 strokes to sink 145' 11" worth of putts and was among the leaders in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Despite this final push, Scott ultimately came up short.

Scott came into the week at No. 81 in the FedExCup standings, likely needing a three-way tie for third to advance based on PGA TOUR projections. When the final putt fell on Sunday, he stood at T7 and moved into 72nd in the standings. Matt Kuchar (currently 60th in the standings) remains the last man standing to qualify for every single Playoffs since they began in 2007.

Ahead of the Wyndham Championship, Scott admitted, "One better round of golf this year and I'd find myself well inside the FedExCup line at the moment at the right time, that's how small a margin it is over a season – just one round that is a few shots better."

A round of just one shot better today would have earned him a tee time at Memphis.

Ever the optimist, Scott chose to look at the positives of the downtime: "I think it gives me a good chance to have a look at what I need to do differently to be more competitive in whatever competition I'm playing in."

NOTABLES

Justin Thomas missed out on the Playoffs by one shot and will undoubtedly be thinking about his near hole-out on the 18th green for a while. The chip-in birdie attempt on his 72nd hole ricocheted off the flagstick and kept him from sneaking into the 70th position. It’s the first time Thomas has missed the Playoffs in his career, snapping an eight-year streak.

Billy Horschel’s wild run at the FedExCup Playoffs ends at Sedgefield Country Club. Needing a win to secure his spot in Memphis, the 36-year-old shot a 2-over 72 Sunday to finish in solo fourth place, his best finish since a solo second in 2020. He moved from No. 116 to No. 90 in the standings.

Webb Simpson, who won his first PGA TOUR event at the Wyndham Championship in 2011, birdied his final two holes Sunday for a 63. It won't be enough to push him into the top 70, as he entered the week at No. 170, but it was his best finish of the year and only his second top-10 in 16 starts this season. Currently at T5 in the tournament, Simpson will most likely post his 10th top 10 in 15 appearances at Sedgefield. Earlier in the week, Simpson attributed his play partially to the new Titleist T100 irons he has in the bag. "They're a little better than my blades out of the rough. And this golf course has a lot of rough and I thought the iron could be a little more stable, and I had a couple out of the rough today that they did pretty good... I'll probably always go back and forth."

A different major champion, Shane Lowry, also ended his Regular Season at the Wyndham Championship. He entered the week needing a minimum two-way tie for 23rd to have a chance to move on, but a 3-under final score would not be enough. He currently stands at T51 and projected to move to No. 78 in the standings. His best finish at Sedgefield remains a T7 in 2017, and Lowry's Playoffs streak comes to an end after four years.

FEDEX ST. JUDE CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD

Here are the players who have moved inside – and outside – the top 70 of the FedExCup after the final round of the Wyndham Championship. The top 70 advance to the FedEx St. Jude Championship, set for Aug. 10-13 at TPC Southwind outside Memphis, Tennessee. There are no cuts in FedExCup Playoffs events, and the first two Playoffs events award 2,000 points to the winner (FedExCup points are quadrupled for all players in the first two Playoffs events). The top 70 also are guaranteed to retain status for the following season and are exempt for all Full-Field Events plus a spot in THE PLAYERS.

PROJECTED IN

Lucas Glover (moves from No. 112 to No. 49): He came into the week needing at least a two-way tie for second to move on to Memphis, and he did himself one better by securing the win and his fifth consecutive Playoffs appearance. His 2-under 68 marked his fourth straight round in the 60s at Sedgefield and his 20-under 260 was good for a two-stroke victory, vaulting him 63 spots in the FedExCup standings. The 43-year-old Glover, whose most recent win came at the 2021 John Deere Classic, is the first player to win twice on TOUR after turning 40 years old since Stewart Cink (wins in 2020, 2021).

PROJECTED OUT

Austin Eckroat (No. 70, projected to No. 74): An undoubtedly nervous waiting game ended in disappointment for the 24-year-old Eckroat, who arrived at the Wyndham as the man on the FedExCup bubble at No. 70. Two rounds of 1-over 71 at Sedgefield left him outside the cutline with no control over his Playoffs destiny, and when the dust settled on Sunday, Eckroat was on the outside looking in. “I just made too many mistakes out there,” he said Friday. He came into the week likely needing at minimum of a two-way tie for 11th to secure his spot in Memphis.

BUBBLE BOY

Ben Griffin (No. 68, projected to No. 70): A wait-and-see situation turned into a hurry-up-and-pack-your-bags occasion for the 27-year-old Griffin, who played college golf at nearby UNC-Chapel Hill. At No. 68 in the ranking, he arrived in Greensboro needing a two-way tie for 20th to guarantee his spot in the Playoffs, but he missed the cut after shooting 70-73 and replaced Austin Eckroat on the bubble in the projections when play concluded Friday… and that’s where he landed when all was said and done Sunday.

BIG MOVER

Byeong Hun An (No. 52, projected to No. 37): The 31-year-old An finished with a 3-under 67 on Sunday to cap off four rounds in the 60s and a T2 finish, tying with Russell Henley at 18 under. The finish improved his standing in the FedExCup, as he jumped 15 spots closer to the coveted top-30 position for the TOUR Championship.

PGA TOUR staffer Lisa Antonucci contributed to this report.