The PGA Tour now takes a short break after the Tour Championship, returning on September 17 with the Biltmore Championship and for some high-profile players there is much work to be done in the weeks and months ahead.
Missing out on the Tour Championship is not necessarily bad news because all those who finished in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings are eligible for all of next year’s Signature Events, with huge prize money and points on offer.
That means the likes of Kurt Katayama (31), JT Poston (32), Rickie Fowler (33), Nicolai Hojgaard (35), Alex Noren (36), PGA champion Aaron Rai (39), Justin Thomas (43), Sahith Theegala (48) and Matt McCarty (50) are all safe.
Fowler is, of course, still a huge crowd favourite who has been through plenty of highs and lows. And there were plenty of positive signs in 2026. Yes, he missed five cuts in 21 starts, but he was tied second at the Truist and enjoyed for other top 10 finishes.
He failed to make it to The Masters and will be looking to put that right in 2027 - to do so he needs to be in the top 50 in the world rankings - he is currently 44th.
But for other high-profile names it is a very different story.
(Image Credit: Rolex/Thomas Lovelock)
Jordan Spieth (52) missed the Tour Championship for the third year on the bounce but insists that his game is not far away and is promising big things in 2027. Mind you, we have heard that before from the former world number one.
Spieth is a 13-time winner who has claimed The Masters, US Open and Open but has not picked up a trophy since the RBC Heritage in 2022.
He made 22 starts in 2026 and missed just three cuts. There wasn’t a single top-10 but he did manage 10 top 25s so the signs are perhaps quite encouraging for Spieth and his long-suffering caddie, Michael Greller.
Others in the same category include Max Homa (53), Harris English (54), Piercson Coody (55), England’s Harry Hall (56), Corey Conners (59), Daniel Berger (60) and Shane Lowry (62).
Lowry has endured a frustrating season to date. He was tied second at the Cognizant Classic in January, a tournament he should have won, and was in contention at The Masters until a horrific final round of 80.
At least all of the above still have full playing rights for 2027 and are likely to receive sponsors’ invitations for the big-money events.
However, it is a very different story for many others who will need to put their foot on the gas during the Fall Season. For them, the concern is not so much making it to the Signature Events but a question of survival. You need to finish the year in the top 100 to keep your card.
For the likes of Tony Finau (98), Billy Horschel (100), Rasmus Hojgaard (107), Marco Penge (112) and Seamus Power (114) it is squeaky bum time. When the tour returns in September these guys are going to need some big finishes.
Finau’s fall from grace has been spectacular. He is a six-time PGA Tour winner and two-time Ryder Cup player. In 2022 he won three times but his most recent victory came at the Mexico Open in April 2023. He has now tumbled to 137th in the world rankings and had a solitary top 10 finish in 2026, missing six cuts.
There are also some famous names sitting outside the top 120. These include the popular Joel Dahmen (121), Matthew Pavon (126), Chris Kirk (128), Haotong Li (133) and brilliant prospects such as Gordon Sargent (134), Luke Clanton (147) and Neal Shipley (183)
For Matt Kuchar (143), Erik van Rooyen (147), Kevin Streelman (148), Aaron Wise (151), Lanto Griffin (156), Patton Kizzire (160) and Nick Dunlap (167), the future is looking especially bleak.
Almost all of the players named here are tournament winners; some of them have picked up multiple titles. It just goes to prove that there are no guarantees in this game.
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