The Five: Players with most at stake in FedExCup Playoffs

For the 70 players at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first step is complete. You can’t win the FedExCup without first qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs.

But raising the FedExCup isn’t the sole motivator during this year's Playoffs. There are more goals yet to be achieved, some that can be achieved directly over the next week and some that can be forwarded during the action-packed three-week stretch.

The field is fighting for exemptions into Signature Events, which will go to the 50 players who qualify for next week’s BMW Championship. Some are making final pitches for Presidents Cup selection or jockeying for end-of-season awards. The next three weeks will have implications on how the rest of a player’s offseason and 2025 unfolds.

So before the Playoffs get started, here’s a look at five golfers who all have unique stakes for the next three weeks.

1. Scottie Scheffler

It’s strange to consider Scottie Scheffler might still have something to prove after his historic 2024, but that opportunity presents itself this Playoffs.

If there’s a nit to pick from his last two seasons, it’s been his inability to close at the TOUR Championship. On both occasions, Scheffler entered the season finale at No. 1 in the FedExCup but relinquished his three-stroke lead by the tournament’s end. He led by six strokes in the final round of the 2022 TOUR Championship before Rory McIlroy chased him down. Viktor Hovland did the same last year, overcoming Scheffler’s advantage by the end of the first round.

“It was obviously very sad and hard and I didn't expect things to finish that way,” Scheffler said of 2022.

It’s probable that he will hold the same three-stroke lead again this year, primed to start at 10-under thanks to the Starting Strokes format. Will this be the year he finally ends the season on a high?

Scheffler enters the Playoffs two weeks removed from an emotional gold medal victory at the Olympics. He’s won six times on TOUR, including the Masters and THE PLAYERS Championship. He’s checked off every goal TOUR players start the season. All that’s left is redemption at East Lake.

2. Jordan Spieth

Arguably the most popular golfer outside the top 50, Jordan Spieth is hoping to avoid his fourth missed TOUR Championship appearance and a bevy of uncertainty heading into 2025.

He enters the Playoffs at No. 63 in the FedExCup standings, in need of a top result to leapfrog more than a dozen golfers to reach the top 50. Unlike his close friend Justin Thomas last year, Spieth does not have the safety net of the Official World Golf Ranking to rely on for Signature Events qualification. As a reminder, the top 30 in the OWGR ahead of each Signature Event earn an exemption. Spieth is currently 43rd in the world ranking.

It also doesn’t appear he will have much opportunity to improve on his world ranking. Spieth admitted last week he will probably need wrist surgery ahead of 2025, likely sidelining him for the bulk of the fall. That adds even more emphasis to this week. If he can crack the top 50, it would provide Spieth the security to take as much time as needed to rehab his wrist.

Spieth is also still an option for a Presidents Cup captain’s pick, given his successful track record in the event.

It was tempting to slot Hovland into this exercise instead. Like Spieth, Hovland is outside the top 50 (currently 57th), but his status for Signature Events is much more straightforward. Still seventh in the Official World Golf Ranking, Hovland is not at risk of missing out on the Signature Events any time soon.

Hovland’s lone risk this Playoffs is the possible disappointment of being unable to defend his BMW Championship and TOUR Championship victories.

3. Nick Dunlap

There are immediate implications and long-term stakes for Dunlap this Playoffs. The immediate: Dunlap is 67th in the FedExCup, hoping to extend his season another week and secure his spot in next year’s 2025 Signature Events.

The long term? The Playoffs are the best opportunity for Dunlap to solidify his positioning in the Rookie of the Year race, which has likely narrowed down to him and Mattieu Pavon. Historically, the players’ Rookie of the Year votes often go to the rookie that makes it furthest in the Playoffs. Eric Cole got the nod over Ludvig Åberg last year, despite the Swede’s late charging case. Pavon, at No. 16 in the FedExCup, is likely to reach the TOUR Championship. Odds are, Dunlap won’t make the BMW. Advantage, Pavon.

Narratively, Dunlap likely has the edge as the first amateur to win on TOUR in more than three decades. He validated it with a win at the Barracuda Championship last month. It’s one of the most impressive stories of the season, considering the 20-year-old was still just a sophomore at Alabama.

Perhaps his peers will recognize some of the semantics working against Dunlap, who would also be right in the thick of qualifying for the TOUR Championship if he was eligible to receive the 500 FedExCup points from The American Express. Because he was an amateur, he did not receive those points. He can render that unimportant with a charge this Playoffs, his main focus heading to Memphis.

4. Will Zalatoris

Perhaps no player would benefit more from the security of a BMW Championship appearance than Zalatoris.

Hampered by injuries much of the last two years, and as recently as the Rocket Mortgage Classic in June, Zalatoris can set himself up for success and health if he maintains his spot in the top 50. He’s currently 49th, 50 points ahead of No. 51 (equivalent of a solo 43rd finish in the Playoffs). Securing spots in all Signature Events would allow Zalatoris to set his schedule to best accommodate his ongoing back issues and ensure he’s operating off the best schedule to maximize his health.

That’s been a challenge this season.

“I think the one thing that I think my surgeons really did a good job of telling me was that the first year your recovery's going to kind of feel like a stock market where it goes up and down, but the line of best fit is going to hopefully trend up,” Zalatoris said last week. “I think that's where for me, the moments of feeling really good at the start of this year, play six or seven events and then start kind of feeling a little bit of achiness in there and maybe need to get a cortisone shot or something like that. It's a lot of ups and downs.”

Without guaranteed spots in the Signature Events, Zalatoris will likely need to play a heavier schedule to ensure he gets into the top tournaments through the Aon Swing 5, Aon Next 10 or top-30 OWGR exemption. If those are guaranteed, Zalatoris will have more room to let his body dictate when he plays, not his FedExCup standing.

He returns to TPC Southwind for the first time since he won the event in 2022. He did not play in 2023 as he recovered from back surgery.

“The fact that I'm sitting in this position and being able to for sure be in the Playoffs and make a run in the Playoffs, like I said, it's a nice spot to be in, but by no means am I satisfied,” Zalatoris said.

5. Mackenzie Hughes

Another player right on the top-50 bubble, Mackenzie Hughes (No. 48) is playing for more than just Signature Event eligibility. He’s hoping to extend his season for a Presidents Cup push.

Hughes is 15th in the International Presidents Cup Team standings, well outside the top-six automatic qualifying spots that will be finalized after the BMW. As a Canadian, he’s likely on the shortlist of captain’s picks, but there’s no shortage of Canadians expected to make the team. Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Taylor Pendrith and Adam Hadwin are all ahead of Hughes in the Presidents Cup standings and the FedExCup. Captain Mike Weir could take all of them, but if there’s an odd man out, it might be Hughes.

Hughes has recent form on his side. He’s made five straight cuts, including top 20s at The Open Championship and 3M Open. That argument will only hold weight if Hughes has opportunities to play, and right now, only one is guaranteed. With increased FedExCup points up for grabs in Memphis, his spot at No. 48 is far from secure. With a solid week at TPC Southwind, Hughes can set himself up for success in 2025 and nab his biggest goal – a Presidents Cup spot in his home country.