The PGA Tour‘s postseason opener just got smaller, and one absent star is the reason why.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship field officially dropped to 69 players this week. Daniel Berger, a four-time Tour winner with nearly $32.7 million in career earnings, will not tee it up at TPC Southwind.
Berger qualified for the event on points. He simply chose not to play.
The format takes only the top 70 players in FedEx Cup points, down from the top 125 cutoff the Tour used before 2025.
So, unlike a normal Tour event, there is no waitlist and no Monday qualifier here. If an eligible player withdraws or sits out, nobody claims the open spot. The field just shrinks.
Berger sits at No. 60 in the FedEx Cup standings, well outside the top 50 he would need to reach the BMW Championship at Bellerive in St. Louis. Sitting out earns him zero points.
In practical terms, Berger is not just skipping one tournament. He is almost certainly forfeiting the rest of the playoffs.
While Daniel Berger Chose to Skip the Field, Multiple Golfers Failed to Make it
GettyBrooks Koepka failed to make the playoffs.
Dozens of players fell agonizingly short at Wyndham Championship.
Jason Day needed a two-way tie for 12th or better just to climb inside the top 70. Instead, he missed the cut and his streak of 18 consecutive playoff appearances ended.
Keegan Bradley’s run of 15 straight playoff trips, dating to when he earned his card in 2011, ended when he finished tied for 49th instead of the tie for 38th he needed.
Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour also came up empty. He entered the week at No. 86 and needed at least a solo fourth-place finish. He closed with a 70 to finish three under, well short.
Tony Finau survived the 36-hole cut at 3 under to keep alive his streak of 11 straight playoff trips, but a quiet final round left him well outside the top 70 by Sunday.
Steven Fisk arrived at Sedgefield sitting 69th, safely inside the line. Then he missed the cut and Michael Brennan’s victory vaulted Brennan from 105th to 47th, while Fisk slid to 71st. That’s the end of his season.
Jackson Koivun, a 21-year-old rookie out of Auburn, held the No. 70 spot through the weekend and advanced in only his fifth start as a pro.
Jordan Spieth’s Familiar Test in Memphis
GettyJordan Spieth failed to make the top 50.
Jordan Spieth avoided the cut-line drama that ended other careers in Greensboro, but his season is far from settled. He closed the week at No. 54 in the FedEx Cup.
So, he needs to fight at St. Jude again to get inside the top 50.
The stakes stretch beyond one tournament. Players who finish the event inside the top 50 lock in fully exempt status for every 2027 signature event, including The Players Championship.
Miss that number, and the fallback is sponsor exemptions, a path Spieth already knows well.
Spieth needed sponsor exemptions to get into most of the Tour’s 2026 signature events after missing the top 50 cutoff a year ago.
The Tour plans to phase out sponsor exemptions entirely, though they will remain in place through 2027, adding urgency to Spieth’s push this week. He does not look like a golfer just one Wanamaker shy of a career Grand Slam.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post PGA Tour Announces Abrupt $33 Million Change to FedEx St. Jude Championship appeared first on HEAVY.