FedEx Cup standings: Jackson Koivun, Keegan Bradley among notable names on bubble watch to make playoffs

There have been many benefits to the PGA Tour tightening its belt in recent years. Among the biggest has been the added importance of the Wyndham Championship. Each year in Greensboro, North Carolina, players who have experienced middling seasons face one last opportunity to transform their year from one to forget into one to remember.

Recent iterations of the tournament, which stands as the last opportunity for those on the bubble to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, have seen winners emerge like Cameron Young and Aaron Rai (after Matt Kuchar held everyone hostage and brought play back to the course the following Monday). 

In 2023, two-time major champion Justin Thomas was in need of a strong week to make his way inside the top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings and bolster his résumé for the upcoming Ryder Cup. Ultimately, Thomas fell short when his chip-in attempt on the 72nd hole, which would have sent him into those playoffs, lipped out.

Jackson Koivun, 21, occupies the 70th and final spot in the postseason at the onset of the week. Koivun was able to tread water in Detroit and remain at No. 70 after his win at the 3M Open catapulted his name up the standings. With what will be five tournaments under his belt, he hopes another solid showing will punch his ticket into the playoffs, while those behind him aim for his performance to be more sluggish so that they can capitalize and play their way into the postseason.

2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs bubble watch

A postseason push may draw the attention of U.S. team leadership for the Presidents Cup, which includes Keegan Bradley and Brandt Snedeker. Bradley will have a say in whether Koivun joins the team after his first campaign on the PGA Tour, as the former Ryder Cup captain sits at No. 72 in the season-long race, hoping to catch the kid.

Bradley must achieve at least a two-way tie for 38th place to qualify for the playoffs, according to the PGA Tour. That is the minimum finish he needs to earn, provided no one between him and the top 70 adds points. If Koivun makes the cut and earns additional FedEx Cup points, Bradley will need to do better.

The former U.S. Ryder Cup captain has a good chance to do just that given his recent form. Making every cut since the PGA Championship, Bradley arrives at the season finale with three top-20 finishes in his last six starts.

Snedeker may be wearing the captain’s hat for the Presidents Cup, but he is among a large list of names outside the top 80 and in need of big performances. Already a winner in Myrtle Beach, Snedeker needs a solo sixth-place finish or better from No. 83 in the standings.

He trails Jackson Suber, who is at No. 82 but is just ahead of Denny McCarthy (in need of a solo fifth-place finish) and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka (in need of a solo fourth-place finish). Koepka has withdrawn ahead of a couple of tournaments in recent weeks, as has Day.

Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour has been mildly disappointing this year despite flashing signs at various points. The putter posed as the biggest issue early on, although he still managed to collect six top-20 results in his first 11 starts. A hand injury upended his Canadian Open, and he has not notched a top 20 since dropping to No. 86 in the FedEx Cup standings in the process.

Other notable names on the outside looking in down the FedEx Cup standings include Tony Finau at No. 89 and Andrew Novak at No. 91 (both in need of a two-way tie for third) and Max Greyserman at No. 99 (in need of a solo third-place finish).

Typically, only a handful of names at most move in and out of the bubble across the final four days of the regular season, but weirder moves have happened, and with so much star power looking to shine, this year’s Wyndham Championship and chase for the FedEx Cup Playoffs is setting up to be memorable.