5 Big Names To Miss The Tour Championship

The top 30 are heading to East Lake for the FedEx Cup finale, but which notables won't be making the trip?

The 18th hole at East Lake during the Tour Championship and insets of Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele
(Image credit: Getty Images)

We have just one event left to decide the 2025 FedEx Cup winner as the PGA Tour's top 30 players head to East Lake for the Tour Championship.

There's no starting strokes this week in a straight-up format where whoever shoots the lowest score for 72 holes comes out with the trophy, and the $10m winner's check.

Scottie Scheffler is favorite to win back-to-back FedEx Cups against a field including the likes of Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg and Justin Thomas - but which big names haven't managed to qualify?

We take a look at the notable players to be eliminated after the BMW Championship, where the top 50 was reduced to 30...

Rickie Fowler: 32nd

Rickie Fowler wearing an orange polo and cap with green sunglasses

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The six-time PGA Tour winner jumped up into the top 50 last week after a brilliant T6 finish at the FedEx St Jude Championship but he was unable to make it into the top 30.

His T7 finish at the BMW Championship moved him up from 48th to 32nd in the season-long standings but it wasn't quite enough.

It means Fowler misses out on East Lake for the second successive year. He also now looks certain to miss out on Ryder Cup Team USA.

Matt Fitzpatrick: 34th

Matt Fitzpatrick at The Open at Royal Portrush

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Fitzpatrick agonizingly missed out on East Lake, too, despite a strong end to the season.

After no top-10s in his first ten starts, he ended the campaign with five top-10s in his final nine events - but it still left him outside of the top 30.

The Englishman is not yet qualified for the Ryder Cup team so may head back to Europe to try and impress Luke Donald. He looks likely to be picked for Bethpage Black either way.

Jason Day: 41st

Jason Day hits a driver off the tee

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Day's T23 finish at the BMW Championship was not good enough to see him climb inside the top 30.

It means he misses East Lake for the second consecutive year.

The Australian managed four top-10s in 16 starts this year on the PGA Tour to end the season in 41st position.

Xander Schauffele: 42nd

Xander Schauffele at the Memorial in 2025

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Schauffele's 2025 started in difficult circumstances after he took time off for a rib injury and he has not managed to play his best golf following his two Major wins in 2024.

It means that the Californian misses the Tour Championship for the first time in his career due to his 42nd-place finish in the FedEx Cup.

He will likely next play at the Procore Championship, which is set to be a tune-up for Keegan Bradley's Team USA.

Ryan Fox: 43rd

Ryan Fox with the Myrtle Beach Classic trophy

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The New Zealander will not be playing at East Lake despite winning twice on the PGA Tour this year, at the Myrtle Beach Classic and RBC Canadian Open.

Fox is playing his second PGA Tour season and finished 107th last year so his 43rd place finish in 2025 marks the best campaign of his career to date with almost $4m won.

FedEx Cup standings

  • 1. Scottie Scheffler
  • 2. Rory McIlroy
  • 3. JJ Spaun
  • 4. Justin Rose
  • 5. Tommy Fleetwood
  • 6. Ben Griffin
  • 7. Russell Henley
  • 8. Sepp Straka
  • 9. Robert MacIntyre
  • 10. Maverick McNealy
  • 11. Harris English
  • 12. Justin Thomas
  • 13. Cameron Young
  • 14. Ludvig Aberg
  • 15. Andrew Novak
  • 16. Keegan Bradley
  • 17. Sam Burns
  • 18. Brian Harman
  • 19. Corey Conners
  • 20. Patrick Cantlay
  • 21. Collin Morikawa
  • 22. Viktor Hovland
  • 23. Hideki Matsuyama
  • 24. Shane Lowry
  • 25. Nick Taylor
  • 26. Harry Hall
  • 27. Jacob Bridgeman
  • 28. Sungjae Im
  • 29. Chris Gotterup
  • 30. Akshay Bhatia
  • ---------------------------------------------
  • 31. Michael Kim
  • 32. Rickie Fowler
  • 33. Taylor Pendrith
  • 34. Matt Fitzpatrick
  • 35. Kurt Kitayama
  • 36. Lucas Glover
  • 37. Si Woo Kim
  • 38. Sam Stevens
  • 39. Ryan Gerard
  • 40. Denny McCarthy
  • 41. Jason Day
  • 42. Xander Schauffele
  • 43. Ryan Fox
  • 44. Thomas Detry
  • 45. Daniel Berger
  • 46. Brian Campbell
  • 47. Bud Cauley
  • 48. Tom Hoge
  • 49. JT Poston
  • 50. Jhonattan Vegas
Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, X and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 and 2025 Masters from Augusta National and was there by the 18th green to watch Rory McIlroy complete the career grand slam. He has also covered five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

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