What Finish Does Justin Thomas Need To Make FedEx Cup Playoffs?

What do the the likes of Justin Thomas, Shane Lowry and Adam Scott need to do at the Wyndham to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs? We look at the permutations

Justin Thomas takes a shot at the 2023 3M Open
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Paul Higham
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The Wyndham Championship is the last chance saloon for several big names on the PGA Tour as they battle to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but who needs what to break into that crucial top 70?

There will be plenty of permutations and mid-tournament adjustments with players sitting below Hideki Matsuyama at No.56 in the FedEx Cup standings all being vulnerable to dropping out of the top 70 if things don't go their way.

It's extra tough to make the Playoffs this season with only the top 70 lining up at the FedEx St Jude Championship instead of the usual 125, and some big names are on the outside looking in.

Two-time Major winner and 2017 FedEx Cup champion Justin Thomas is the headline, as he faces missing the Playoffs for the first time in his career after a tough season.

He enters the Wyndham Championship down in 79th in the standings while World No.30 Shane Lowry is at 76th and former Masters champion Adam Scott is down in 81st.

Scott, who along with Matt Kuchar are the only other players to make every edition of the Playoffs since their inception in 2007, now has to have a big week to keep that streak going.

Another former FedEx Cup champion, Billy Horschel is all the way down in 116th and most likely needs to win the Wyndham to make the Playoffs 

What are the FedEx Cup permutations?

It's a fluid situation with so many moving parts, but luckily the PGA Tour has crunched the numbers for those currently on the bubble looking to get in.

They've compiled a list of the minimum requirement players such as Thomas and Lowry need to get into the top 70 - and more importantly what they'll probably need to do to guarantee their spot.

So here's where some of those players currently rank, followed by their minimum requirement and what they'll likely need to guarantee a top 70 spot.

72nd Garrick Higgo - Minimum: Solo 51st | Likely needs: Solo 10th

76th Shane Lowry - Minimum: Two-way T23 | Likely needs: Two-way T5

77th Justin Suh - Minimum: Two-way T19 | Likely needs: Three-way T4

79th Justin Thomas - Minimum: Solo 18th | Likely needs: Three-way T4

80th Matt Wallace - Minimum: Solo 14th | Likely needs: Two-way T4

81st Adam Scott - Minimum: Two-way T9 | Likely needs: Three-way T3

82nd Joel Dahmen - Minimum: Solo 9th | Likely needs: Three-way T3

83rd Danny Willett - Minimum: Solo 8th | Likely needs: Two-way T3

84th Kevin Streelman - Minimum: Solo 7th | Likely needs: Two-way T3

97th Gary Woodland - Minimum: Two-way T3 | Likely needs: Two-way T2

99th Akshay Bhatia - Minimum: Two-way T3 | Likely needs: Two-way T2

102nd Alex Noren - Minimum: Solo 3rd | Likely needs: Two-way T2

116th Billy Horschel - Minimum: Two-way T2 | Likely needs: Win

You can see the full PGA Tour permutations list on their website.

Paul Higham
Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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