The brief offseason is officially in the rearview mirror as the PGA Tour kicks off its new season in the picturesque Napa Valley, California, this week. As we step into the new season, Scottie Scheffler’s remarkable triumph at the Tour Championship still resonates—a victory that came with a staggering $25 million payday.
The FedEx Cup Fall Series
The FedEx Cup Fall series, an essential segment of the PGA Tour, promises a series of eight events that provide opportunities and stakes for many players. Those players who finished outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings after the St. Jude Championship are now mobilizing, eager to make their mark in the fall series.
However, not all top-tier players will be part of this fall action. Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, and Viktor Hovland are among the prominent names skipping the fall series events. Their absence leaves room for other talents to shine and seize critical points and exemptions.
Aiming for Exemptions and Qualifications
Winning any of the fall series events offers a significant reward: a two-year PGA Tour exemption and automatic qualification for The Players Championship. Prestigious events like the Procore Championship, Sanderson Farms Championship, and the new Black Desert Championship in Utah are already generating buzz. The fall series will culminate with the RSM Classic, scheduled from November 21-24.
The Procore Championship will witness players such as Wyndham Clark, Gary Woodland, Webb Simpson, Max Homa, Corey Conners, Harris English, Min Woo Lee, and Sahith Theegala battling it out. These players bring their own star power, making the competition fierce and the outcomes unpredictable.
Retaining Tour Cards
As the fall series unfolds, the stakes are particularly high for players hovering near the cutoff mark. The top 125 players will retain their coveted PGA Tour cards for 2025, adding a layer of pressure on those like Zac Blair (No. 113), Kevin Tway (No. 122), and Sam Ryder (No. 125). Each stroke and each putt could make the difference between securing their place on the tour and having to fight for their spot all over again.
Leading the Pack
Currently leading the FedEx Cup standings is Tom Kim, who boasts an impressive 1,079 points. Trailing closely are Mackenzie Hughes with 1,048 points and Maverick McNealy with 1,045 points. Not far behind, Patrick Rodgers, Justin Rose, and Seamus Power remain within striking distance, primed to challenge the leaders and shake up the standings as the season progresses.
Points and Pathways
The 2024 regular-season FedEx Cup points will carry significant weight, as they will roll over into the fall series. This continuity ensures that every event in the fall carries substantial importance, impacting not only the immediate outcomes but also the setup for the 2025 season.
The players ranked Nos. 51-60 after the fall series will earn valuable exemptions to two of the first three signature events of 2025. These signature events include The Sentry, Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and the Genesis Invitational—tournaments that often set the stage for defining moments in the early part of the season.
As the PGA Tour embarks on this new season in Napa Valley, the landscape of professional golf once again becomes a theater of skill, strategy, and unrelenting competition. The fall series not only offers redemption for many but also sets the stage for future champions to rise and etch their names into golfing history.