Rickie Fowler was on track to secure a spot at the upcoming Tour Championship in Atlanta after a strong start to the final round at the BMW Championship. However, late-round struggles saw his FedEx Cup standing slip, ultimately causing him to miss the cut for the season-ending event. Fowler’s birdie on the seventh hole briefly lifted him into the top 30, but a costly double bogey at the 14th derailed his chances.
Fowler, 36, struggled with commitment on his approach shot at the par-4 14th, leading to a missed up-and-down from the greenside rough and a subsequent double bogey. Despite recovering with a solid drive on the next hole, he then overshot his approach, compounding his difficulties. When needing a birdie on the final hole to extend his event run, Fowler missed a key five-foot putt, ending his season abruptly.
“Obviously bummed,” Fowler remarked after shooting a final-round 69.
“I knew what I needed to do. Really just made a poor swing. I just needed to give myself a little bit more time and get fully committed to what I was trying to do. Eight-iron into 14, I hung it out, left it out right. Really don’t feel the breeze down there in the fairway, and just got my start line out to the right too much, and I had the ball below my feet. A few variables. So bummer on that one.”
—Rickie Fowler, Professional Golfer
He added,
“Tried to make a couple (birdies) coming in, but yeah, I wish we were playing next week, but we’ll head off and get to recovery and get ready for next year.”
Other Players Narrowly Miss Out Amid BMW Championship Drama
Fowler was not alone in missing out after a dramatic finish at Caves Valley. Michael Kim finished just outside the qualifying threshold in 31st place with an even-par performance on Sunday. A bogey on the 15th hole threatened to eliminate him, but a birdie on the 16th briefly revived his hopes. Ultimately, Viktor Hovland sealed Kim’s fate by sinking a seven-foot birdie putt on the final hole to claim the last available spot ahead of Kim.
“I’ve never been this close to a Tour Championship in my entire career,”
said Kim, who struggled with a minor back injury during the year.
“Felt like a small back injury kind of hurt me in the middle of the year. Overall, it was a great season.”
—Michael Kim, Professional Golfer
Akshay Bhatia, who began the tournament ranked 29th in the FedEx Cup standings, held onto the final Tour Championship berth by finishing one spot ahead of Kim. Despite a challenging back nine marked by four bogeys, Bhatia’s previous hole-out eagle and ace during the third round effectively secured his place.
“I just feel like maybe I didn’t do a great job (on the back nine),”
Bhatia said.
“I think we could have done a better job with the mindset of, again, just trying to play golf and not trying to protect. It felt like that in a way. You know, that’s part of the learning experience.”
—Akshay Bhatia, Professional Golfer
Emerging Players Earn Places in Atlanta’s Tour Championship Field
Alongside Bhatia, other players on the edge of qualifying included Chris Gotterup (29th), Sungjae Im (28th), Jacob Bridgeman (27th), and Harry Hall (26th). This represents a milestone for Bridgeman, who will make his Tour Championship debut after finishing 121st last season. Gotterup, meanwhile, earned his first invitation by winning the Scottish Open the previous month and revived his campaign with a solid final-round 68 in his BMW event.
“We were talking the other day,”
Gotterup explained,
“like if we were a month out and you said you were going to be here with a chance to fight for East Lake, you would have signed for that.”
—Chris Gotterup, Professional Golfer
Harry Hall made a notable leap from outside the top 30 to inside it, beginning the week ranked 45th in the FedEx Cup standings. The 28-year-old Englishman finished sixth on the BMW leaderboard, an impressive performance highlighted by a dramatic chip-in from 44 yards on the par-3 17th hole. This remarkable shot helped cement his spot in next week’s Tour Championship field.
“I had just bogeyed 16, and I knew I couldn’t afford to drop a shot coming in,”
Hall said.
“I hit a beautiful five-iron (on No. 17), just the way I wanted to, and it just rolled a little bit over the back. I’ve been hitting that chip shot on the practice chipping green all week, like the same spot, warming up every day with a 54 (degree wedge) into the grain on an upslope. As soon as I saw the lie, I’m like, ‘I’ve been doing this all week.’ Yeah, I hit a perfect shot.”
—Harry Hall, Professional Golfer
FedEx Cup Playoff Dynamics: Gains and Losses
Harry Hall’s rise into the top 30 displaced Lucas Glover, who began the week holding the final automatic Tour Championship spot but dropped to 36th place following a tie for 40th at the BMW Championship. Glover’s fall further highlights how tightly contested the FedEx Cup playoffs have become, where every stroke carries significant weight.
Implications for the Tour Championship and Beyond
Rickie Fowler’s narrow miss signals a setback for a player once considered a consistent contender in major events. His performance at the BMW Championship underscores the fine margins that define the FedEx Cup playoffs and the challenge of qualifying for the prestigious Tour Championship. Meanwhile, breakthrough opportunities for players like Harry Hall and Jacob Bridgeman demonstrate how emerging talents can seize moments late in the season to secure their positions on golf’s biggest stages.
As the field prepares to gather at East Lake in Atlanta for the Tour Championship next week, the drama of FedEx Cup playoff qualification serves as a reminder that fortunes can swing dramatically. For Fowler and Kim, the focus will turn to recovery and preparation for the next season, while players like Hall and Gotterup will seek to capitalize on their gains and make an impact in one of golf’s most significant events.