The second event of the 2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs brings players to Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis for the BMW Championship, where the top 50 in the standings will battle for the 30 coveted spots in next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake.
Getting into the top 50 is the main goal for many, as it locks them in to the full signature event schedule for 2027, but making the top 30 has plenty of benefits as well. There’s a lot of money on the line in both bonus payouts and the Tour Championship purse, as well as a two-year PGA Tour exemption at stake, which could be particularly valuable with the Championship and Challenger Series split coming in 2028.
The bubble battle for the 30th spot is extremely tight, with just three points separating Kurt Kitayama in 28th place from Gary Woodland in 31st. In between are Bud Cauley and Rickie Fowler, and those four will be jockeying for position with each other all week, with one of them likely the odd man out. Beyond that quartet are players hoping to produce a strong finish and leap into the top 30, with those at the very bottom needing a top-two finish at worst to have a chance at East Lake.
2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs bubble watch
|
27 |
Adam Scott |
1,315 |
+57 |
|
|
28 |
Kurt Kitayama |
1,259 |
+1 |
|
|
29 |
Bud Cauley |
1,258 |
— |
|
|
30 |
Rickie Fowler |
1,258 |
— |
|
|
31 |
Gary Woodland |
1,256 |
-2 |
48th |
|
32 |
J.T. Poston |
1,237 |
-21 |
31st |
|
33 |
Nicolai Højgaard |
1,208 |
-50 |
T18 (three-way) |
|
34 |
Alex Noren |
1,197 |
-61 |
17th |
|
35 |
Jake Knapp |
1,196 |
-62 |
T16 (three-way) |
|
36 |
Robert MacIntyre |
1,191 |
-67 |
T15 (three-way) |
|
37 |
Aaron Rai |
1,146 |
-112 |
12th |
|
38 |
Ben Griffin |
1,124 |
-134 |
11th |
|
39 |
Sepp Straka |
1,122 |
-136 |
11th |
|
40 |
Sungjae Im |
1,052 |
-206 |
8th |
| 41 | Michael Thorbjornsen | 1,051 | -207 | 8th |
|
42 |
Nico Echavarria |
1,040 |
-218 |
T7 (two-way) |
|
43 |
Patrick Cantlay |
1,029 |
-229 |
7th |
|
44 |
Justin Thomas |
1,027 |
-231 |
7th |
|
45 |
Ryo Hisatsune |
908 |
-350 |
T2 (three-way) |
|
46 |
Sahith Theegala |
898 |
-360 |
T2 (three-way) |
|
47 |
Michael Brennan |
875 |
-383 |
T2 (two-way) |
|
48 |
Eric Cole |
875 |
-383 |
T2 (two-way) |
|
49 |
Maverick McNealy |
863 |
-395 |
T2 (two-way) |
|
50 |
Matt McCarty |
845 |
-413 |
2nd |
Minimum finish = to pass Rickie Fowler and Bud Cauley for 30th. As those in the top 30 will also be adding points, these estimations are not guarantees. Circumstances will clarify ahead of Sunday’s final round.
A win would punch anyone’s ticket to East Lake, and that’s what those in the final six spots in the standings will know is their only guarantee of making it to Atlanta. For two of the biggest names outside the top 30 currently, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay, they need to be thinking about a top-5 finish and might need a little help even then if they are going to make another start at the Tour Championship.
For those just behind Woodland, like Poston, Højgaard, Noren, Knapp and MacIntyre, a top-10 finish would give them a good chance at moving into the top 30. MacIntyre, who withdrew last week after a catastrophic first round 82 in Memphis, will be particularly motivated to erase the disappointment of the St. Jude and claw back into the Tour Championship conversation.
Last week was a prime example of how volatile the standings can be as the week wears on. McNealy, McCarty, Cole and Brennan all spent time outside the top 50 in the projections during the week, and there was little clarity about who would make it and who would just miss out until late Sunday afternoon. With such a tight race from 28th to 31st, and a number of players just behind that within 100 points of the bubble, this week should be just as wild and every birdie and bogey will be magnified in the hunt for a place in the Tour Championship field.