John Rahm Suspension, Who and Who Benefit?

Mackenzie Hughes of Canada and Carl Yuan of China experienced an unexpected rise in the year-end FedEx Cup standings following Jon Rahm’s suspension from the PGA Tour. The Spanish golfer faced sanctions for affiliating with LIV Golf while negotiations with LIV’s financiers, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, are ongoing. The PGA Tour, citing its regulations, suspended Rahm, rendering him ineligible for tournament play after switching allegiances.

As a consequence, Hughes moved up from 51st to 50th in the standings, securing eligibility for all signature events in 2024. Having claimed his second PGA Tour victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October, Hughes capitalized on this boost. Alex Smalley also benefited, advancing from 61st to 60th, earning entry into the first two signature events of the new season – the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.

For Carl Yuan, narrowly missing the top 125 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings could have meant conditional PGA Tour status and full status on the Korn Ferry Tour. However, with his new position at 125th, Yuan now secures a full-time PGA Tour card. Paul Haley II secured conditional status by moving from 151st to 150th, while Jonas Blixt’s climb from 201st to 200th made him eligible for membership on the DP World Tour.

The PGA Tour has announced that eligibility for the 2024 season will be finalized on December 31. Any further changes before that date will be reflected in the FedEx Cup standings. Amid speculation, Tony Finau put an end to rumors of a move to LIV by affirming his commitment to the PGA Tour in an Instagram announcement on Monday night.