From 70 to 50. The PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs rolls on to Week 2 of the postseason and now just 50 golfers remain.
The second leg of the playoffs takes the Tour to Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis for the BMW Championship, the lone playoff event to be played at a different venue each season. The postseason started with 70 golfers and only Sungjae Im, who finished T-5 and surged from No. 53 at the start of the week, to No. 40, did enough at the FedEx St. Jude Championship to get through to the next week. And if Im moved up, that means someone also had to move down, and Keith Mitchell was the odd-man out.
Maverick McNealy entered the week as the "Bubble Boy," and he did just enough to hang on, shooting 1-under 69 on Sunday and finishing T-19.
He advanced at No. 49.
"Much happier trip not going to the airport and just driving a car up the river," McNealy said. "I think the top 50 number is probably the most important number on the PGA Tour right now. I'm excited to get to St. Louis and just take a Hail Mary swing to see if I can get into the Tour Championship, which is the goal every year."
The last man to qualify for the BMW was Matt McCarty, who finished 50th, less than 8 points ahead of Mitchell.
"Yesterday I booked a flight. I'm going back to Chicago, and if I end up having to drive down to St. Louis on Monday, I'll be happy," McCarty said.
He'll have a pleasant ride, while Mitchell will have some time off to stew about what could've been. The difference between being in all of the signature events is likely one or two shots during the long season.
"It's tough because this year I was like one foot in, one foot out all year, in the majors, in the signature events. I didn't have a schedule. Really didn't have like a life, off weeks built in. Every week I was like first alternate or am I going to get in?" he said.
FedEx Cup standings: Last 5 in for BMW Championship
FedEx Cup standings: First 5 out for BMW Championship
FedEx Cup standings: The biggest movers in Memphis
Here's a look at the top 50 advancing to the BMW, where the new Bubble Boy for the Tour Championship is Rickie Fowler at No. 30.
For the 20 players exiting the playoffs, their next potential start could be at the Biltmore Championship in Asheville, North Carolina for the Tour's FedEx Cup Fall series, which starts Sept. 17 at a new event at the Cliffs at Walnut Grove.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: See the top 50 in FedEx Cup Playoffs standings heading to the BMW Championship
