The season-ending Tour Championship features an exclusive field of the top-30 players on the FedEx Cup points list.
For those PGA Tour golfers hugging that top-30 cutline this week at the BMW Championship, getting to the season-finale at East Lake was stressful, with each birdie putt providing a jolt of adrenaline and every bogey feeling like a kick to the gut.
Sunday was once again a rollercoaster of emotions for those players angling for one of those coveted tee times at the 2023 Tour Championship, where the winning prize is $18 million in bonus money.
It made for a fascinating few hours of television on CBS.
Fans enjoyed watching Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick and Max Homa battle for the win while also keeping tabs on the likes of Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Sahith Theegala and Sepp Straka, who were all battling to extend their seasons.
Here’s a closer look at the race to East Lake, where ultimately just one golfer played his way into the top 30 but several others walked a tightrope over the final 18 holes at Olympia Fields outside Chicago.
Matt Fitzpatrick tees off from the seventh tee during the final round of the 2023 BMW Championship. (Photo: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports)
For every golf that slides out, one moves up to take his spot.
The golfer who helped himself the most this week was Fitzpatrick, who began the BMW in the No. 40 spot but heads to Atlanta No. 10, thanks to a tie for second at Olympia Fields.
Fitzpatrick was the lone golfer at the BMW to go from outside the top 30 to inside. He’ll start next week 4 under due to the PGA Tour’s Starting Strokes format for the Tour Championship, six back of Scottie Scheffler, who will start in the pole position at 10 under.
Justin Rose watches his tee shot from the 15th tee during the third round of the 2023 BMW Championship. (Photo: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports)
Fellow Englishman Justin Rose decided to make things a little more interesting. He was 32nd to start the week, climbed inside the top 30 after 36 holes but then opened his final round with two bogies on his four holes. He had another on the 13th and ended up shooting a 3-over 73.
Rose missed 14 fairways Sunday, with 10 of those misses ending up in the left rough. He failed to record a single birdie Sunday and saw his season end after finishing No. 34 in points.
Jordan Spieth walks off the 18th green after finishing his round during Sunday at the 2023 BMW Championship at Olympia Fields. (Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Jordan Spieth garners interest wherever he goes and Sunday was no different. Especially after he bogeyed the last two holes to shoot a 71 and put himself squarely on the bubble.
He started the week No. 27, dropped to No. 29 and then played the waiting game to see if he would advance.
And advance he did, finishing 29th, less than eight points ahead of the No. 31 slot in the standings.
Sam Burns watches his drive on the third tee during the final round of the 2023 BMW Championship. (Photo: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports)
Sam Burns started the week in the No. 30 spot. On Saturday, he tied the North Course record at Olympia Fields outside Chicago with a 62, which was set by Max Homa just a day prior. (Viktor Hovland would best them both with a 61 on Sunday.)
A final-round 71 secured Burns the No. 26 spot. He will be in a group of five golfers bringing up the rear at the Tour Championship at even par, 10 shots off the lead in the Starting Strokes format.
Sahith Theegala plays a shot from the sixth tee during the final round of the 2023 BMW Championship. (Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Sahith Theegala made the Tour Championship field a year ago as a rookie but came up one spot shy of making a return visit to East Lake. He opened his week at the BMW in No. 31 spot, shot a first-round 66, closed with a final-round 67 and finished in that same No. 31 spot, a mere four points behind Sepp Straka.
Sepp Straka follows his shot from the second tee during the first round of the 2023 BMW Championship. (Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Straka had an eventful, stressful, emotional week at the BMW. He started 24th in points and spent much of the weekend bouncing back and forth from inside the top 30 to outside.
In the end, he did just enough to punch his ticket to East Lake. A final-round 66 was good for a tie for 37th and more importantly, the No. 30 spot in the Tour Championship, where last place is good for $500,000.
Chris Kirk watches his shot after teeing off from the first tee during the third round of the 2023 BMW Championship. (Photo: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports)
With Matt Fitzpatrick moving into the top 30, someone had to fall out and that someone was Chris Kirk.
Kirk shot a third-round 75 on Saturday while dealing with someone who Max Homa called “the biggest loser”. A spectator in the gallery had yelled at the two to miss their putts.
Kirk closed with a 71 on Sunday, which led to his slide from the No. 29 to the No. 32 spot and out of the Tour Championship.
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