It’s only the first day of the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis but already the pressure is mounting to secure a spot in next week’s BMW Championship.
Only the top 50 move on to St. Louis and the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Those who do are one week closer to qualifying for the Tour Championship and get to play for $20 million next week. But the bigger prize is securing entry into all of the signature events in 2027.
Two of the big movers are among the five-way tie with 5-under 65 at TPC Southwind at the top of the leaderboard after the first round on Thursday.
Michael Kim, who birdied two of the first three hole and two of the last four holes en route to his 65, topped the field in Strokes Gained: Putting and is projected to jump
from No. 61 to No. 24.
“I feel like I was in a similar situation last year, where I was trying to get into East Lake at the BMW,” said Kim, who needs a minimum of a there-way T-12 to advance to next week. “I knew I wanted to try and stay ahead of the projections. So really nice to get off to a good start.”
Jordan Spieth was the next biggest mover, projected to vault from No. 54 to No. 22 should he go on to win. Spieth, who needs a minimum of a solo 23rd, was bogey-free in shooting his 65, and not overly concerned about whether he slips into the top 50 or not.
“If it's going to work out, great. If it doesn't, I know next year is going to be an awesome year for me,” Spieth said. “So, it takes a lot of the stress off of this week.”
One other player is on target to climb inside the top 50 and that is South Korean Sungjae Im, who needs a minimum two-way T-24. He shot 4-under 66 and sits T-6, which is good enough to rise from No. 53 to No. No. 45 in the season-long standings.
Three players moving inside the magic 50 means that three players would have to tumble out and those three are projected to be: Maverick McNealy (T-17) at No. 51; Keith Mitchell (T-26) at No. 52; and Matt McCarty (T-60) at No. 53.
Michael Brennan, the winner last week, is the new Bubble Boy at No. 50 despite a 3-over 73. He is projected to be 0.268 points ahead of McNealy. Long way to go but the drama is building to Sunday.
FedEx Cup standings: Last 5 in for BMW Championship
FedEx Cup standings: Last 5 out for BMW Championship
Minimum required to stay alive in FedEx Cup Playoffs
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: FedEx Cup bubble: Michael Kim, Jordan Spieth surge in standings at St. Jude
