How FedExCup Playoffs bubble unfolded Sunday at Wyndham Championship

There was no shortage of drama at the water-logged Wyndham Championship, yet it yielded minimal changes in the FedExCup.

While there was movement among the top 70 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, nobody moved in or out after 72 holes at Sedgefield Country Club. The same 70 players that were projected to make the Playoffs entering the FedExCup Regular Season finale were the same when play wrapped Sunday night.

Don't let that fool you. While the final results showed no changes in the 70-player starting field for next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, it was far from a certainty as the final day progressed.

The drama mostly centered on three players for the final spot: Victor Perez, Davis Riley and Ryo Hisatsune. Perez entered the week at No. 70 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, holding down the final spot after an emotional week at his home Olympics, while Riley began the Wyndham Championship at No. 71. The two were separated by just three FedExCup points into the week, with Riley needing to finish better than Perez at the Wyndham to jump him on the standings. Meanwhile Hisatsune was making a heroic charge up the leaderboard, with a chance to steal the final Playoffs berth with a solo second finish.

Ultimately, Perez got up-and-down for a gutsy par on the 72nd hole to post 8-under 272, one better than Riley, after this year’s Charles Schwab Challenge winner had mid-range birdie looks on each of the last three holes but settled for three angsty pars. Then, Japan’s Hisatsune made bogey at the last to finish at 15 under, eventually good for a T3 (turned out, he would have needed to birdie the hole for the necessary second-place finish).

Perez didn’t know it for sure as he met the media, but he is headed to the FedExCup Playoffs in his first season as a PGA TOUR member. He was justifiably exhausted after playing 36 holes on a marathon Sunday, but one could also detect a sense of relief.

“I think you're always nervous,” Perez said of his day. “This was probably a little bit closer to like a chance of winning a tournament because you're trying to really stretch as much as you can, whereas usually you're 25th place, you're just trying to improve but it's not as do-or-die, which was a little bit more the case today. So we'll see how it plays out.

“I was trying to tell myself that if I’m tired, I think everybody else is tired … we’re definitely running low on energy … Playing next week in Memphis would be best-case scenario.”

After the bubble scenarios shook out, Perez will indeed be walking in Memphis.

Riley was frustrated after completing his final round, but the Mississippi native grew introspective when discussing the week and his season at large. He knows he has a lot to work on, and he looks forward to the challenge. He wasn’t at full strength this week after catching an illness on Wednesday night, which led him to spend most of Thursday in bed (for Riley, the postponement of Thursday’s opening round to Friday was a blessing in disguise.) He expended maximum effort in Sunday’s 36-hole marathon, and although he fell short in gutting fashion, he gave it his all. Hence he can depart Sedgefield Country Club in peace.

“I gave myself a chance,” Riley said afterward. “I hit some really good shots coming down the stretch; I just couldn't make the putts. Proud of the way I hung in there on a long day and a week when I was a little under the weather. Having to cap it off with a 36(-hole) day took about every ounce of energy I had in me.

“You could pinpoint it to a thousand different shots throughout the season so it's easy to pick the ones there at the end. Yeah, it will be pretty disappointing not to play in the Playoffs, but you're able to control your own destiny and I wasn't able to do it. Only have myself to turn to and look forward to improving on some things and give it another go next season.”

Aaron Rai earned his first TOUR title at 18-under 262, two strokes clear of Max Greyserman, who led by four strokes with five holes to play in the final round but suffered a quadruple bogey and a four-putt double bogey in a three-hole stretch, leading to his second straight runner-up finish on TOUR. It was a chaotic conclusion at the top of the leaderboard, although both players entered the week safely in FedExCup Playoffs position and hence didn’t impact the top-70 bubble.

Here’s how the top-70 bubble shook out after the Wyndham Championship, which marked this year's FedExCup Regular Season finale:

65. Brendon Todd
66. Seamus Power
67. Nick Dunlap
68. Jhonattan Vegas
69. Emiliano Grillo
70. Victor Perez
—
71. Davis Riley
72. Andrew Putnam
73. Kurt Kitayama
74. Luke List
75. Adam Svensson

After the opening round was postponed to Friday due to Tropical Storm Debby, Round 1 was completed on Saturday morning and Round 2 was completed on Sunday morning. Some players had as many as 39 holes to complete on a marathon Sunday.

Matt Kuchar, who led the Wyndham after 36 holes, needed a win to advance to his 18th straight FedExCup Playoffs. He was the only PGA TOUR player to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs ever year since its inception. That streak snapped Sunday, though Kuchar didn't officially finish. He hit his drive on the 18th, but opted to wait until Monday morning to finish. Well outside of contention, it had no impact on his Playoffs positioning.

The pressure was particularly high for Victor Perez, who survived the entire week as the last man in. His fate was very much in doubt on Sunday afternoon as Ryo Hisatsune charged up the leaderboard and Davis Riley lurked behind. Ultimately, neither could do enough to unseat the Frenchman.

The top 70 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List advance to the first Playoffs event, next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis. The top 50 after the FedEx St. Jude will advance to the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado and qualify for next year’s Signature Events. The top 30 after the BMW Championship will qualify for the TOUR Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.

Read below for a complete look at how the bubble drama unfolded on Sunday, and click here to see the FedExCup standings.

8:23 p.m. ET: It’s over and it’s official. Aaron Rai is your Wyndham Championship winner and after a mentally draining week that included more than 36 holes of golf on Sunday, nobody moved in or out of the top 70 of the FedExCup. On to Memphis.

7:36 p.m. ET: Any possibility of Ryo Hisatsune sneaking into the Playoffs disappeared on the 18th green. He held a narrow chance of eclipsing No. 70 Victor Perez if Hisatunse managed to finish solo second. But the rookie missed a 4-foot par putt on the 72nd hole, dropping him into a tie for third.

That all but guaranteed nobody will move out of the top 70, barring a collapse by both co-leaders – Max Greyserman and Aaron Rai.

7:20 p.m. ET: Disaster at the par-4 14th as Max Greyserman makes a quadruple bogey! The rookie hit a wayward tee shot that bounded off the cart path and out of bounds. That was just the start of the mess. His provisional found the rough and Greyserman hacked into a fairway bunker. His sand shot missed the green, his pitch shot ran out to 10 feet and he failed to make the putt, carding a quadruple-bogey 8. He began the hole with a four-shot lead and left tied with Aaron Rai at 17-under.

Despite the drama, it has yet to impact the Playoffs bubble. Both Greyserman and Rai began the week safely inside the top 70 and both will improve on their positioning this week. How much remains a question. The winner will lock up their spot in the top 50, regardless of next week’s result, while the runner-up will be squarely on the bubble.

6:40 p.m. ET: For all the fanfare and speculation, the same 70 players that began the week projected into the Playoffs are holding strong. Victor Perez made a crucial 5-foot par putt on the 18th to finish 8-under and maintain his spot at No. 70. No. 71 Davis Riley had the opportunity to overtake him, but stalled on Sunday with an even-par 70 and finished a shot behind Perez.

The lone disruptor could still be Ryo Hisatsune. The Japanese rookie is 16-under through 15 holes, one shot back of Aaron Rai in second and three back of leader Max Greyserman. Histasune, 107th in the standings beginning the week, can crack the top 70 with a victory, or possibly with a solo second. If he finishes runner-up alone, there is a scenario where he narrowly sneaks by Perez, though that will depend on how all the other players around him fare. His simplest path is through victory, a small yet still doable possibility.

5:35 p.m. ET: Stuck in neutral and running out of holes, Davis Riley’s push for the top 70 is in its waning moments. He began the final round as the last man out, No. 71, needing to play well and get a little help from No. 70 Victor Perez. Neither has happened. Riley is 1-over through 14 holes, currently tied for 39th at 6-under. Meanwhile, Perez is ahead of him on the course (2-under through 15) and on the leaderboard at 8-under overall. Riley would need to surpass Perez, likely by multiple shots, to overtake him in the FedExCup. It’s still possible, but the odds are shrinking by the minute.

5:25 p.m. ET: The end of an era is nearing. Matt Kuchar, the only PGA TOUR golfer to make the FedExCup Playoffs every year since its inception, needs a win at the Wyndham to make it for the 18th consecutive season. A double-bogey on the par-3 seventh likely dashed those hopes. Kuchar knew it immediately as his tee shot flared out to the right and into the water hazard. The double dropped him to 11-under, eight shots back of Max Greyserman.

5:00 p.m. ET: Keith Mitchell has thrown his name into the hat, turning in 2-under 33 to move to T7 on the leaderboard and projected No. 73 on the FedExCup. He needs a hot back nine but still has a chance to extend a streak of six straight Playoffs berths.

Victor Perez (T27, four holes to play) currently holds down the projected No. 70 spot, with Davis Riley (T39, six holes to play) projected No. 71.

Ryo Hisatsune (solo third, eight holes to play) needs a top-two finish at minimum, and maybe a win, for a chance to move inside the top 70. Others that appear in good shape but aren't yet secure: Emiliano Grillo (projected No. 68) and Jhonattan Vegas (projected No. 69).

4:20 p.m. ET: Charles Schwab Challenge winner Davis Riley began the week at No. 71 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, needing to make the cut and likely more to move inside the top 70, and despite feeling under the weather earlier this week, he gutted out a second-round 66 to make the cut with a stroke to spare and keep his hopes alive.

After a third-round 68 on Sunday morning and a front-nine 35 in the final round, he stands T35 on the leaderboard and is still projected No. 71. Riley currently projects less than 13 points behind Victor Perez (T26, seven holes to play), who currently holds the 70th and final spot.

4:10 p.m. ET: Canada's Adam Svensson has entered the conversation. After entering the week at No. 81 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, needing a big week to crack the top 70, he's currently T5 on the leaderboard (12 under) with 12 holes to play. Svensson is projected No. 74 on the FedExCup, needing some more birdies down the stretch. He needs a three-way T4 at minimum for a chance to crack the top 70, and he might need more.

4:00 p.m. ET: Duke alum Max Greyserman holds pole position on the leaderboard as Round 4 is underway, eyeing his first TOUR title, but drama also abounds on the FedExCup Playoffs bubble, with the top 70 finalized upon the conclusion of play at Sedgefield Country Club.

France's Victor Perez currently holds down the projected 70th spot in the FedExCup Playoffs, after turning in 3-under 32 in the final round to jump 21 spots on the leaderboard, from T42 to T21.

Seamus Power (T50, 13 holes to play) holds the No. 69 spot, with Ryo Hisatsune (solo second, 13 holes to play) projected No. 71.

Matt Kuchar, needing a win to move inside the top 70, trails Greyserman by four shots as they play the par-3 third hole. Greyserman stands 16-under total, two clear of Hisatsune. Amateur Luke Clanton (who cannot earn FedExCup points) and England's Aaron Rai (safely inside the top 70) share third place at 13 under.

3:21 p.m. ET: The final group is underway for Round 4 at the Wyndham, with Max Greyserman assuming the 54-hole lead at 15-under 205. Greyserman raced up the board with a third-round 66 at Sedgefield, playing in the final threesome alongside Matt Kuchar and Chad Ramey.

Greyserman entered the week at No. 63 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, safely inside the Playoffs cutoff but intent on moving inside the top 50 to qualify for next year's Signature Events (finalized after the BMW Championship).

Kuchar, needing a win to make the FedExCup Playoffs for the 18th straight season, fell off the pace with a 3-over 38 on the back nine of Round 3, after a 3-under 32 on the first nine. Kuchar begins the final round at 12-under 208, three back of Greyserman.

The final threesome was originally scheduled to begin at 3:10 p.m., but the tee time was pushed back 11 minutes to 3:21 p.m.

Amateur Luke Clanton holds solo second at 14 under, playing his eighth hole of the final round (No. 17). He's looking to become the first player in 14 years to win on TOUR after starting the final round on No. 10 tee. Japan's Ryo Hisatsune holds solo third place at 13 under, playing the fifth hole of Round 4.