FedEx Cup: A look at the Top 30
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The Top 30 in the FedEx Cup rankings have been set for the Tour Championship this week, but who is most likely to win?
This week, players will compete for a chance to win the $10m prize money that comes with the FedEx Cup – so we’ve been taking a closer look at what each player will need to win.
Each of the top five players in the FedEx Cup rankings are guaranteed to win the FedEx Cup if they win at East Lake, but there are several other ways they can win too.
It’s a lot harder for the other 25 players competing. The rest of the pack need to win the Tour Championship, but that alone wouldn’t be enough – they’ll also need a little bit of help from those at the top.
The Top Five
1. Jordan Spieth
How he got there: The World No.2 has had three victories (including The Open) in 2017, 11 top 10s in 2017, and finished runner-up in both the first two FedEx Cup play-off events. A T7 at the BMW Championship secured his position in the top spot heading in to the Tour Championship.
Chance: Spieth has the highest possible chance of winning without victory at the Tour Championship. The Open Champion could likely win with a top five finish if the other four players in the top five don’t take home the trophy. Theoretically (though unlikely), he could finish as low as 29th and still win the FedEx Cup.
2. Justin Thomas
How he got there: JT has had an outstanding season. A 59, a US-Open record of 63 and not to mention five victories which includes his first major victory at the PGA Championship. He’s been in FedEx contention all year and a win at the Dell Technologies (the second play-off event) pushed him in to second place in the FedEx rankings just a few points behind Spieth. He finished T47 at the BMW Championships at -5, but he’d done enough not to be overtaken.
Chance: Thomas could guarantee the title with a win, but he could also likely take home the FedEx Cup if he makes it in to the top-three this week (providing Spieth, DJ, Lieshman or Rahm don’t win the Tour Championship). Theoretically, he could finish as low as 6th and still win, but again everyone else would have to help him here.
3. Dustin Johnson
How he got there: DJ led the FedEx Cup rankings for a considerable amount of the season thanks to three back-to-back titles earlier this year. A fourth win at the Northern Trust (the first play-off event) awarded him 2000 points and ensured his place in the top three even with a T18 at the Dell Technologies and T33 last week.
Chance: DJ could win the Tour Championship to win, but he could also likely take home the FedEx Cup if he has either a runner-up finish or potentially finish as low as fourth – but that is all providing that Spieth, JT, Lieshman or Rahm don’t win.
4. Marc Leishman
How he got there: Leishman won the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this year, and pushed himself in to 7th position thanks to a strong outing at the Dell Technologies a couple of weeks ago. He won the BMW Championship last week, securing his spot in the top five.
Chance: Leishman either has to win the Tour Championship or finish inside the top three to win the FedEx Cup, but will have to rely on the four players above him not to be higher than him.
5. Jon Rahm
How he got there: The Rookie on Tour has been a force noone expected. He won both on the PGA and European Tour’s this year, and has had 12 top 10s. He finished 3rd at the Northern Trust, 4th at the Dell Technologies and 5th at the BMW Championship last week – which made sure he kept his 5th spot ahead of Rickie Fowler.
Chance: Rahm could win the FedEx Cup with victory at the Tour Championship, and could finish as low as a 2-way tie for 2nd and still have a mathematical chance of winning – but he would be relying on the rest of the top five to be out of top-spot contention.
The rest of the top 10
6. Rickie Fowler
– Needs a win + Spieth to finish 2nd or worse.
7. Hideki Matsuyama
– Needs a win + Spieth to finish 3rd and JT to finish 2nd or worse.
8. Justin Rose
– Needs a win + Spieth to finish 3rd and JT and DJ to finish 2nd or worse.
9. Brooks Koepka
– Needs a win + Spieth to be in 3-way tie for 3rd, JT to finish 3rd and DJ and Leishman to finish 2nd or worse.
10. Paul Casey
– Needs a win + Spieth to be 5th or worse, JT to finish three-way tie for 3rd, DJ to finish three-way tie for 2nd, Leishman to finish second or worse or Rahm to finish second or worse
The rest of the rankings
11. Pat Perez
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T6 or worse, JT must be 4th or worse, DJ must be 3rd or worse, Leishman must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse, and Rahm must be 2nd or worse.
12. Matt Kuchar
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish in a 3-way tie for T6 or worse, JT must be 4th or worse, DJ must be 3rd or worse, Leishman must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse, and Rahm must be 2nd or worse.
13. Charley Hoffman
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T7 or worse, JT must be 4th or worse, DJ must be 3rd or worse, Leishman must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse, and Rahm must be 2nd or worse.
14. Daniel Berger
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T8 or worse, JT must be 4th or worse, DJ must be 3rd or worse, Leishman must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse, and Rahm must be 2nd or worse.
15. Jason Day
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T9 or worse, JT must be 4th or worse, DJ must be 3rd or worse, Leishman must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse, and Rahm must be 2nd or worse.
16. Webb Simpson
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish in a 3-way tie for 9th or worse, JT must be in a 3-way tie for 4th or worse, DJ must be tied 3rd or worse, Leishman must be 3rd or worse, and Rahm must be 2nd or worse.
17. Jhonattan Vegas
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish in a 3-way tie for 10th or worse, JT must be in a 3-way tie for 4th or worse, DJ must be in a 3-way tie for 3rd or worse, Leishman must be 3rd or worse, and Rahm must be 2nd or worse.
18. Kevin Kisner
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T11th or worse, JT must be 5th or worse, DJ must be in a 3-way tie for 3rd or worse, Leishman must be 3rd or worse, and Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse.
19. Kevin Chappell
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T12th or worse, JT must be 5th or worse, DJ must be in a 3-way tie for 3rd or worse, Leishman must be 3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
20. Brian Harman
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish in a three way tie for 12th or worse, JT must be 5th or worse, DJ must be in a 3-way tie for 3rd or worse, Leishman must be 3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
21. Adam Hadwin
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish 13th or worse, JT must be 5th or worse, DJ must be in a 3-way tie for 3rd or worse, Leishman must be 3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
22. Kyle Stanley
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish in a 3-way tie for 13th or worse, JT must be T5 or worse, DJ must be in a 3-way tie for 3rd or worse, Leishman must be 3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
23. Patrick Reed
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T15th or worse, JT must be T5 or worse, DJ must be in a 3-way tie for 3rd or worse, Leishman must be 3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
24. Tony Finau
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T17th or worse, JT must be T5 or worse, DJ must be in a 3-way tie for 3rd or worse, Leishman must be 3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
25. Sergio Garcia
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T19th or worse, JT must finish in a 3-way tie for T5 or worse, DJ must be in 4th worse, Leishman must be T3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
26. Xander Schauffele
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T21st or worse, JT must finish 6th or worse, DJ must be 4th or worse, Leishman must be T3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
27. Russell Henley
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T21st or worse, JT must finish 6th or worse, DJ must be 4th or worse, Leishman must be T3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
28. Gary Woodland
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T21st or worse, JT must finish 6th or worse, DJ must be 4th or worse, Leishman must be T3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
29. Patrick Cantlay
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T27th or worse, JT must finish in a 3-way tie for 6th or worse, DJ must be 4th or worse, Leishman must be T3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
30. Jason Dufner
– Needs a win
+ Spieth must finish T29th or worse, JT must finish in a 3-way tie for 6th or worse, DJ must be 4th or worse, Leishman must be T3rd or worse, Rahm must be in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Fowler must be 2nd or worse.
