7 surprising players to miss the Tour Championship
Justin Thomas faced a daunting challenge as he woke up Sunday morning. After shooting a 74 on Saturday, he found himself in 46th place out of a 48-man field at the BMW Championship. This left him on the brink of falling out of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings, which would mean missing…
Justin Thomas faced a daunting challenge as he woke up Sunday morning. After shooting a 74 on Saturday, he found himself in 46th place out of a 48-man field at the BMW Championship. This left him on the brink of falling out of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings, which would mean missing the Tour Championship for the second consecutive year.
For many, this situation would have brought back memories of last year’s Wyndham Championship, where Thomas narrowly missed qualifying for the Playoffs by just one shot. However, Thomas had a different perspective on this year’s challenge.
“It’s just weird,” Thomas said on Sunday. “The Playoffs are fun like that because I felt some things on those last couple holes that feel similar to trying to win a golf tournament, just when you know if you don’t advance to the next stage, you don’t have a chance. That’s all I want.”
Thomas understood that even if he made it to the Tour Championship in Atlanta, he would be a long shot to win it all. But for him, just having a chance was enough. “It’s a lot of pressure, but you’ve got to play well at the right time, and that’s what the Playoffs are about.”
And play well he did. Thomas posted a bogey-free 68 on Sunday, moving up seven spots on the leaderboard. As the day unfolded, it seemed that his performance would be just enough to secure his spot in the Tour Championship as the 30th-ranked player in the standings. His fate was sealed when Alex Noren missed a critical seven-foot putt for par on the 16th hole, dropping out of a tie for fourth place and allowing Thomas to slip into the season finale.
While Thomas managed to cling to his top-30 position, four other players—Keegan Bradley (who won the BMW Championship), Adam Scott, Tommy Fleetwood, and Chris Kirk—jumped from outside the top 30 into the field for East Lake. The 30-man field for the Tour Championship includes several surprises, including players who will receive two-year exemptions on Tour and automatic entry into three of the four majors. One of the most notable is Shane Lowry, who, despite his many accomplishments, will be making his debut at East Lake.
However, not everyone was so fortunate. Four players dropped out of the top 30 after the BMW Championship, and several notable names didn’t even make it to the event, missing their chance at East Lake altogether.
### 7 Surprising Players Who Missed the Tour Championship:
1. **Brian Harman (No. 31)**: Harman dropped out of the top 30 after a solo 25th-place finish in Colorado, missing the Tour Championship for the first time since 2021.
2. **Jason Day (No. 33)**: Day struggled over the weekend at Castle Pines, finishing T33 and falling eight spots from 25th.
3. **Will Zalatoris (No. 38)**: Despite solid playoff performances (T12 last week and T13 this week), Zalatoris couldn’t overcome an inconsistent season plagued by injury. He missed three consecutive cuts leading up to the Playoffs.
4. **Matt Fitzpatrick (No. 40)**: Fitzpatrick faced a bizarre rules situation on Sunday at Castle Pines, where he wasn’t allowed to replace his cracked driver during the round. He finished T28, which wasn’t enough to continue what had been a lackluster season, marked by only three top-10 finishes. This is his first time missing East Lake since 2021.
5. **Cameron Young (No. 44)**: Young’s season was defined by seven runner-up finishes without a win, including a T61-T43 run in the playoffs that saw him slide from 31st to 44th in the standings.
6. **Max Homa (No. 46)**: Homa struggled after his T3 finish at the Masters, recording just one other top-10 finish. He finished last in Memphis before a final-round 67 salvaged a T43 at the BMW Championship.
7. **Nick Dunlap (No. 49)**: The rookie was on a hot streak after winning in Tahoe and contending in Memphis. However, a disappointing final-round 77 at Castle Pines kept him from advancing to East Lake.
Notable Players Who Missed the BMW Championship:
Several big-name players didn’t even make it to the BMW Championship, thus missing any chance at qualifying for the Tour Championship. These include:
– **Tom Kim (No. 51)**
– **Justin Rose (No. 55)**
– **Nick Taylor (No. 58)**
– **Jake Knapp (No. 59)**
– **Min Woo Lee (No. 60)**
– **Jordan Spieth (No. 66)**
– **Kurt Kitayama (No. 73)**
– **Lucas Glover (No. 77)**
– **Nicolai Hojgaard (No. 81)**
– **Matt Kuchar (No. 103)**
– **Rickie Fowler (No. 106)**
These players, despite their talent and past successes, fell short of making the cut and will have to wait until next year for another shot at the Playoffs.