What’s at stake? PGA Tour season winds down with plenty left to play for

The FedEx Cup fall schedule is midway over, and there is lots at stake within the last 4 tournaments for the golfers who’re nonetheless attempting to safe their PGA Tour playing cards and taking part in privileges for 2025.

The FedEx Cup fall finalizes the highest 125 golfers who might be eligible for full-field occasions and the Gamers Championship subsequent season, in addition to the ultimate 10 gamers who will qualify for the primary two signature occasions of 2025: the AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am and Genesis Invitational.

“For some guys which are right here this week, I imply, it is a matter of conserving their job or not,” mentioned defending Zozo Championship winner Collin Morikawa. “With such a small area, it is a chance for a few of these guys to make a giant leap as a result of they are going to have the ability to play 4 rounds, they will be getting factors. It is a huge match.”

There are 5 golfers within the 78-man area at this week’s Zozo Championship who’re at present at Nos. 51-60 within the FedEx Cup fall standings: No. 53 Séamus Power. No. 54 Patrick Rodgers, No. 55 Maverick McNealy, No. 58 Nick Taylor and No. 60 Kevin Yu. They should play nicely.

Among the many gamers who’re attempting to climb into the highest 60 who’re taking part in in Japan are Ben Griffin (No. 62), Min Woo Lee (No. 63), Beau Hossler (No. 65), Brendon Todd (No. 66) and Taylor Moore (No. 67). They should play higher.

In regard to the highest 125, Michael Kim (No. 112) and Joe Highsmith (No. 125) climbed on the best facet of the bubble after final week’s Shriners Youngsters’s Open in Las Vegas, whereas Kevin Tway (No. 126) and Joel Dahmen (No. 129) fell out.

Daniel Berger, who’s attempting to come back again after a protracted layoff due to a again damage, is 128th in factors. Previous U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, who recovered from mind surgical procedure in September 2023, is 137th.

Dahmen, who obtained a sponsor exemption to compete within the Zozo Championship, withdrew from the Shriners Children’s Open earlier than the second spherical after he was assessed a four-stroke penalty for having an additional membership in his bag.

Listed here are some storylines to observe on the Zozo Championship, which tees off Thursday at Accordia Golf Narashino Nation Membership in Chiba, Japan.

Homa is rebuilding

Max Homa arrived in Japan looking for his swing and confidence after enduring a troublesome FedEx Cup marketing campaign. He had simply three top-10 finishes in 21 begins and hasn’t had a top-20 since tying for eighth on the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hole Membership in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Might 12.

“I imply, I performed terribly,” Homa mentioned.

Homa parted methods along with his swing coach, Mark Blackburn, after he completed final within the area on the FedEx St. Jude Championship at 11 over.

“I am positively a bit of rusty,” Homa mentioned. “I took a little bit of time without work after the Presidents Cup. I’ve had some assist alongside the best way, but it surely’s been good attempting to determine and personal my very own stuff a bit extra. However yeah, the swing feels OK.”

Homa, ranked twenty seventh within the Official World Golf Rating, missed the reduce in his earlier begin on the Procore Championship in Napa, California.

“Once more, you would get a bit of rusty once you’re engaged on new stuff, it is not likely essentially the most enjoyable factor on the earth,” Homa mentioned. “At occasions, golf can really feel like using a motorbike, particularly once you get on a golf course, you are not on the vary, you can begin seeing pictures and really feel what is going on to work nicely.

“It is a good golf course to do this on as a result of the holes are formed actually properly by the timber. It is positively been a chaotic few weeks, particularly the final week preparing for this, however we obtained right here Sunday and I used to be blissful to have Monday by Wednesday to get some work in and spend a bunch of time on the course.”

Whereas Homa ranks a hundred and twentieth in pictures gained: whole (-.096) and 161st off the tee (-.414), he did acquire floor in his brief sport this season. He ranks thirty first in pictures gained: across the inexperienced (.232) and twenty eighth in sand saves (60.9%).

“I’m excited for ’25 in that a number of issues I wasn’t notably good at to start out ’24, I did change into fairly good at,” Homa mentioned. “So, with one other couple months of labor and with the ability to hone within the issues I did not do nicely prior to now season, you recognize, I nonetheless grew in areas. It simply did not present as a result of I did not drive it nicely this season.”

Tiger’s on their minds

It is nearly the five-year anniversary of Tiger Woods‘ final victory. The final of his 82 PGA Tour wins was on the 2019 Zozo Championship, when he beat nationwide hero Hideki Matsuyama by three strokes.

Homa mentioned he’ll always remember the sight of tons of of followers lining the road with Tiger indicators on a day the course was closed to the general public.

“Clearly, Tiger is very large all over the place he goes, however the crowds that week have been completely unimaginable,” Homa mentioned. “Tiger is the needle, he makes all of that go.”

Woods is not within the area after saying on Sept. 13 that he had undergone another surgery on his lower back to attempt to relieve spasms that plagued him this season. It was the sixth surgical procedure on his decrease again prior to now 10 years.

The 15-time main champion did not say how lengthy the restoration would take. Woods additionally wasn’t within the preliminary area for the Hero World Problem, a match he hosts within the Bahamas on Dec. 5-8. The sphere contains 5 of the highest 10 and 17 of the highest 25 within the OWGR, together with world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler. There are three sponsor exemptions remaining for the 20-man area, and Woods has used considered one of them prior to now.

Schauffele’s homecoming

Solely considered one of Xander Schauffele‘s two main championship trophies made the journey to Japan — the Claret Jug, which he captured by successful The Open by two strokes at Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland on July 21.

“You’ll be able to’t put it in a carry-on, I am going to say that a lot,” Schauffele mentioned. “It might be a large trunk.”

Schauffele mentioned he could not wait to point out the well-known trophy to his maternal grandparents, who stay in Japan. His mom, Ping Yi, was born in Taiwan however moved to Japan as a toddler.

When Schauffele gained a gold medal in golf on the 2020 Summer season Olympics in Tokyo, which have been delayed a yr due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he needed to go away the bubble on the Olympic Village to have a good time along with his grandparents.

That they had adjoining rooms at a lodge close to Narashino Nation Membership.

“I do not get to see them fairly often, so delivering the gold medal to them was actually particular throughout that COVID yr,” Schauffele mentioned. “I feel delivering one other win in entrance of them and for them could be much more particular.”

JT’s huge month

Justin Thomas is making his first begin in Japan in 5 years. He’s getting ready for a good larger occasion again house — the start of his first baby. His spouse, Jillian, is anticipating a child lady in November.

“Any golf shot or state of affairs I’m on this week, it is not going to be something near as arduous as it may be in a month or so when our infant comes,” Thomas mentioned. “We’re very lucky with the timing for me with the ability to come right here. I feel actuality will most likely set in after I get house as a result of it will likely be crunch time.

“I do know my spouse’s going to be an unbelievable mother, and I am excited for the chance to lift a bit of lady. It is going to be nice. However this week I am targeted on enterprise and attempting to win a golf match. Then it is time to go house and prepare to be a dad.”

Thomas and his spouse, the previous Jillian Wisniewski, married in November 2022. Thomas has had loads of time to get issues ready. He hasn’t performed since a tie for 14th on the Tour Championship in early September.

“All I do know is I will be as prepared as I presumably can and we’ll take advantage of out of each state of affairs we are able to,” Thomas mentioned. “I can not inform you actually if I am prepared as a result of I’ve by no means accomplished it earlier than. I am going to let you recognize in a pair months. It will likely be a problem in several methods, however one which we’re excited for.”