6 big name golfers who failed to qualify for 2023 FedEx Cup playoffs
The results of the Wyndham Championship closed the qualification for the FedEx Cup playoffs. The top 70 of the tournament's ranking is already established, so the FedEx St. Jude Championship field is now available.
The FedEx Cup organizers' goal of trimming the field from 125 to 70 was wonderfully accomplished. It was the tightest qualifying ever for this tournament, with some players qualifying and others losing their spot at the last shot of the season.
6 big name strokes out of the FedEx Cup
Several names stand out among those who failed to reach the Top 70 of the FedEx Cup ranking. Let's take a look at some of the main ones:
#1 Justin Thomas
Fans and press perhaps followed Justin Thomas' performance most closely in recent weeks. After one of the worst seasons of his career, Thomas staged an almost legendary comeback in the final tournament of the 2022-23 PGA Tour.
Unfortunately, he missed the final effort and missed the Top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings by just one notch. He was exactly 10 points short of being able to ride the last train.
#2 Adam Scott
The Australian, winner of 14 PGA Tour tournaments, including the 2009 Masters Tournament and the 2004 PLAYERS Championship, narrowly missed out on the FedEx Cup. He was just 21 points shy of making the cut.
Scott experienced a career resurgence this season but lacked a victory as the icing on the cake. His performance at the Wyndham Championship (T7) brought him very close to the Top 70, but it wasn't enough.
#3 Shane Lowry
The winner of The Open Championship 2019 also came very close to achieving his ranking, as he was just 55 points short. But he couldn't do himself justice at the Wyndham Championship. He finished T51 and earned just a little more than six points towards his ranking.
#4 Zach Johnson
The captain of the American team to the next Ryder Cup will also miss the playoffs. Johnson is also the winner of 12 PGA Tour tournaments, including two majors (The Open in 2015 and The Masters in 2007).
Winning the Wyndham Championship was the only option for Johnson to achieve his qualification and he was quite far from that possibility (cut). It was a season of ups and downs for him, in which he was always out of contention for the FedEx Cup.
#5 Billy Horschell
Despite being about 130 points short of cracking the Top 70, Billy Horschel came close to achieving the feat at the Wyndham Championship (4th). He even led the table at times.
Unfortunately, the winner of seven PGA Tour tournaments lacked the final effort. Falling out of the Top 3, could not achieve the extra points that would have given him the qualification.
#6 Gary Woodland
The 2019 US Open winner had it quite similar to Horschell, although he had fewer chances than that one. In the final ranking, he was about 150 points short, but he was far from being able to earn them at the Wyndham Championship. There he finished T27 and earned only 28.7 points.