There are just two official events left before the PGA Tour’s 2024 schedule comes to a close. Historically, this time of the year is a sleepy stretch for the sport; however, with the fall portion of the calendar re-engineered as essentially its own campaign, these final tournaments carry more significance as players are fighting to keep their tour cards. As the tour winds down with this week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship, followed by the season-finale RSM Classic, we take a look at the boys hovering around the bubble. It should be noted not all those around the 125 mark are in danger of losing status; Gary Woodland may look like he’s in danger at No. 137, but he still has one more year of status left thanks to his 2019 U.S. Open win, while Michael Thorbjornsen (No. 136) is fully exempt for 2025 for finishing first in the PGA Tour’s U ranking. But Woodland and Thorbjornsen are the lucky ones. Here are six notable names on the FedEx Cup bubble: Daniel BergerBerger returned from an 18-month injury absence this January. He has been tending to an issue with his lower disc, along with deep bone sensitivity, problems that made playing an excruciating endeavor and kept him sidelined since the 2022 U.S. Open. In an interview with the Associated Press last year, Berger said he had to take ice baths before he could tee it up and that something as simple as sitting in a car brought pain. Berger is a four-time PGA Tour winner, and appeared at the 2017 Presidents Cup and 2021 Ryder Cup for the American team. Prior to his abbreviated 2022 season he was coming off back-to-back $4 million campaigns and was inside the world’s top 25 ranking. It was a tough reassimilation to tour life, as Berger missed the cut in 11 of his first 21 starts this year with just one top-20 finish. But Berger has showed signs of life in the fall, finishing seventh at the Sanderson Farms Championship and T-20 at last week’s event. At No. 124 he needs two decent showings to end the fall, although he is in control of his destiny.
Wes Bryan
The trick-shot savant hasn’t finished inside the FedEx Cup top 125 since 2017, when he captured his lone tour victory at Hilton Head, battling a litany of injuries issues over the past few years. His horizon didn’t look bright at the start of the fall series, beginning the late-season push outside the top 150. But Bryan has been coming on strong this autumn, entering Bermuda with three top-25 finishes in his last four starts (highlighted by a T-6 at last week’s World Wide Technology Championship in Cabo) and at No. 128 has a viable shot at full-time status for 2025. Bryan gets the chance to play with his brother George at the Butterfield, and made the cut at Bermuda last year.
Joel Dahmen
“I want to keep my job out here,” Dahmen said on Sunday in Cabo. “My story is not finished.” It’s been a trying year for the fan favorite, as short-game woes have Dahmen on the hot seat. For his part he hasn’t gone quietly into the night, making three of his last four cuts, with last week’s T-14 serving as his third top-15 finish in 2024. He’s on the right side of the line at No. 121, but his spot is far from secured. Dahmen seems up for the challenge. “It would mean the world,” Dahmen said of keeping his card. “I think it would mean more this year, just the grind that it’s been. Golf has been relatively easy for me for five years. Haven’t really been in this position before … It’s really hard to keep grinding when things aren’t going your way.”
Kevin Streelman
The 46-year-old has put together a remarkable career, racking up 460 starts and winning over $27 million in earnings. But the two-time tour winner has serious work to do over the next two weeks at No. 139. Fortunately for Streelman he’s been playing some of his best golf of the season, nearly winning the Black Desert Championship (T-3) and finishing T-24 last week.
Alejandro Tosti
Golf Twitter’s favorite player has experienced an up-and-down campaign in his rookie season. He’s missed the cut in 14 of 26 starts and ranks 162nd in strokes gained. Conversely, a T-2 at the Houston Open has kept him alive, with a top-10 finish in October at the Shriners Children’s Open helping his case. At No. 129, Tosti can punch his ticket with two decent back-to-back outings.
Hayden Springer
Currently the man at No. 125, Springer earned his card by finishing in the top 5 at last year’s revamped Q School. Bounced back after six straight missed cuts with back-to-back top-10s this summer at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and John Deere Classic, and a T-8 at the Sanderson put him in good position. Alas, Springer proceeded to miss his next two cuts and finished T-45 in Cabo last week to be back on the bubble. A good week in Bermuda can make all the angst go away.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
