Surely not? A host of big names have lost full PGA Tour status
Some of the names to finish outside of the top 125 in the FedEx Cup rankings might surprise you…
Some big names no longer have full status on the PGA Tour.
The FedEx Cup Fall conclusion saw a number of recognisable players from previous years ranked outside of the top 125 which guaranteed starts in full-field events in 2024.
Jimmy Walker, Zach Johnson, Charley Hoffman and Kevin Kisner were among those to miss this cut.
Players ranked between 125 to 150 earn conditional status unless they fall into other exemption categories.
The FedEx Cup Fall reached its climax at the RSM Classic where Ludvig Aberg tasted victory for the first time in the professional ranks in America.
Troy Merritt was the last player in at 125th in the FedEx Cup standings which saw China’s Carl Yuan missed out by one place in 126th.
Earning starts on the 2024 PGA Tour schedule is more important than ever with the introduction of Signature Events and increased prize purses.
Here is a list of the biggest names to lose full PGA Tour cards following last weekend and what their exemption status looks like going forward:
Maverick McNealy
FedEx Cup rank: 128
Status: McNealy is yet to win on the PGA Tour and he only made three top-10s in 2023. Having missed a large chunk of the season with a shoulder injury, he could apply for a medical extension.
Cameron Champ
FedEx Cup rank: 134
Status: Champ still has his status secured through 2024. The 28-year-old has won three times on the PGA Tour, most recently at the 2021 3M Open.
Jimmy Walker
FedEx Cup rank: 139
Status: Walker took up the top 50 career money exemption category in the 2023 season, but the former PGA Champion missed 12 cuts in 31 events.
Charley Hoffman
FedEx Cup rank: 141
Status: Hoffman can still use his career money exemption in 2024.
Harry Higgs
FedEx Cup rank: 145
Status: Higgs will keep conditional status on the PGA Tour by securing a spot in the top 150.
Webb Simpson
FedEx Cup rank: 152
Status: Despite missing out on the top 150, Simpson is exempt until 2026 for winning the Players Championship in 2018.
Stewart Cink
FedEx Cup rank: 154
Status: Cink, the 2009 Open champion, is exempt through the 2024 season because he won the Safeway Open and the RBC Heritage in 2021.
Jason Dufner
FedEx Cup rank: 165
Status: The 2013 PGA Champion could use an exemption category concerning past champions with more than 150 cuts made in 2024.
Zach Johnson
FedEx Cup rank: 168
Status: Having just lost the Ryder Cup as American captain in Rome, Zach Johnson used a career money exemption category in 2023 – as he ranks 14th in the all-time PGA Tour career money leaders.
It isn’t known what Johnson’s next step could be.
Kevin Kisner
FedEx Cup rank: 204
Status: After winning the 2019 WGC Match Play, Kisner is exempt through the 2024 PGA Tour season.
Brandt Snedeker
FedEx Cup rank: 213
Status: Snedeker, a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour, used his career money exemption for a second time this year, and made only 11 starts after needing surgery on his back.
It is known what Snedeker’s next step would be after being sidelined for a large portion of the year.
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
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