The 2026 PGA Tour season has narrowed to the top 50 players advancing to the BMW Championship in St. Louis, with the ultimate goal of reaching the Tour Championship for the top 30. Securing a spot in the top 50 is crucial as it guarantees entry into all 2027 signature events, which offer larger purses and more FedEx Cup points. However, several notable players narrowly missed this cut.
Keith Mitchell finished 51st in the FedEx Cup rankings. His season was marked by uncertainty, as he was consistently on the bubble for major and signature events. Mitchell’s fate was sealed after a T34 finish at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, where a bogey on the 72nd hole, played barefoot from a hazard, kept him out of the top 50.
Jordan Spieth, who started the FedEx St. Jude Championship at No. 54, climbed two spots but ultimately finished 52nd. Despite an inconsistent season, Spieth expressed confidence in his game, believing he is close to peak form. He noted that he ran out of steam and made some poor decisions over a six-week stretch, leaving him insufficient time to recover.
Max Homa finished 53rd. He played well at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, with a Sunday 68 propelling him to a T24 finish. However, he would have needed to shoot two shots better to break into the top 50. Homa made the cut in 15 of his 20 starts in 2026, including one second-place finish and two other top 10s.
Harris English concluded his 2026 season at 54th. It was a challenging year for English, who recorded only one top 10 finish. Known for his ball-striking, English struggled with his approach play, ranking 138th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach.
Shane Lowry finished 62nd in the rankings. He placed T52nd at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which was not enough to advance him to the BMW Championship. Lowry described his season as disappointing, attributing it to not winning early in the season and the lingering effects of those early collapses.
Players ranked 51-60 will now compete in fall events, with the top ten from that group earning spots in the first two signature events of the 2027 season.
