OWINGS MILLS, Md. – With only 18 holes remaining, the race to the Tour Championship is sure to come down to the last hour of Sunday’s final round of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club.
Only the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings at the end of the final round will move on to East Lake for the Tour Championship, the finale of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Awaiting them is the $15 million grand prize, with the last-place player still earning $395,000.
And all sorts of exemptions are earned when you are one of the top 30.
That’s why it will be a tense Sunday, with a bogey here, a birdie there, a par over there changing the scoreboard on the fly. And there will be plenty of birdies, as the course is soft and vulnerable.
As it stands now, Patrick Reed, who is at home recovering from pneumonia and has been forced to miss the two playoff events, is 30th.
Here are some big names who are near the bubble of the 30th spot.
The winner of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year started the week in 23rd but has fallen to 26th in the projections. He likely will remain inside the top 30 but with Caves Valley giving up tons of scores in the low- to mid-60s, big movements could be made. Berger would have another week to impress U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker to be a pick if he were to get to East Lake.
Sergio Garcia lines up a putt on the first hole during the second round of the BMW Championship golf tournament. (Photo: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports)
Garcia has made a big jump this week, starting in 44th but is now 27th in the projections as he has shot 65-67-67 to move into a tie for fourth place. While he’s inside the 30-man cutline right now, he’s less than 100 points ahead of the man in 31st – Hudson Swafford. Garcia is also extremely excited to turn his game around as the Ryder Cup is next month.
Billy Horschel plays his shot from the second tee during the second round of the BMW Championship golf tournament. (Photo: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports)
The 2014 FedEx Cup champion has fallen two spots and is 29th heading into the final round. He’s only broken par once this week but he’ll likely have to break par in the final round to get to Atlanta.
Erik Van Rooyen plays his shot from the 16th tee during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament. (Photo: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports)
After earning his first PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship earlier this month, Van Rooyen has continued his fine play with rounds of 67-68-67 to stand in a tie for 10th. He started in 45th and is now 33rd. One more good round could get him inside the bubble.
Max Homa plays his shot from the second tee during the second round of the BMW Championship golf tournament. (Photo: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports)
The winner of the Genesis Invitational earlier this year started the week as the bubble boy in 30th place. Instead of improving his position, he’s gone backwards and hasn’t even broken par this week in any of his three rounds. He is 36th heading into the final 18 and needs a very low score to have a chance.
Hudson Swafford of the United States reacts on the second green during the third round of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club on August 28, 2021 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The University of Georgia product shot 4-under 68 in the third round to climb into the top-10 at the BMW Championship. He entered the week at No. 40 in the FedEx Cup standings with work to do and has improved his chances of moving into the top 30, but is still on the outside looking in, projected at No. 31. A birdie at the last lifted Swafford to 15-under 201 through 54 holes.
He’s currently projected to finish 12 FedEx Cup points behind Patrick Reed. He’ll need another round in the 60s – probably the mid-60s – to get the job done on Sunday and book his ticket to Atlanta next week.
-Adam Schupak contributed
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