FedEx Cup contender and world top-10 player withdraws from BMW Championship

By

This week’s BMW Championship at Caves Valley Country Club outside of Baltimore will only have a field of 49 players. That’s after the PGA Tour announced Monday that Sepp Straka has withdrawn from the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

“For personal reasons, Sepp is unable to play this week,” said Butler Melynk, Straka’s manager, in a statement released by the tour. “He intends to compete at the Tour Championship, but requests privacy at this time as he attends to a family matter at home.”

Ranking No. 10 in the world, Straka finished T-17 at last week’s FedEx St Jude Championship, shooting a seven-under 273 at TPC Southwind. The performance left him in fifth place in the FedEx Cup points standings. Despite earning no points in this week’s no-cut event, Straka is mathematically guaranteed to finish in the top 30 on the FedEx Cup points list after its conclusion, locking up his place in the field next week at East Lake Golf Club.

By missing this week’s event in Maryland, however, Straka stands to lose out not only on the tournament prize money payout but a potential bonus payment that goes to anyone in the top 30 on the FedEx Cup points list after this week. If Straka remained in fifth place, he would earn another $US1.45 million. Jumping to first would be worth $US5 million; falling into 10th place turns that bonus into $US515,000.

Straka, 32, is enjoying his best season on the PGA Tour in his career, having won the American Express in January and the Truist Championship, a signature event, in May. He has posted four other top-10 finishes en route to earning more than $US10.2 million, double his best previous season. He’s also expected to play for the European Ryder Cup team during next month’s matches at Bethpage Black.