Wyndham Clark left Bellerive Country Club with the trophy, while Scottie Scheffler heads to East Lake, still sitting on top of the FedExCup standings. But the bigger story is the players who were fighting just to keep their seasons alive. They fought hard but failed to do enough to break into the top 30. When the final putt dropped, they were done for the season. The list includes a reigning major winner, a past major winner, and a player who moved inside the top 50 after the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Justin Thomas: A Top-16 Finish That Wasn’t Close Enough

Two-time major winner Justin Thomas started strong at the BMW Championship, shooting back-to-back 67s and putting himself right in the mix after 36 holes. But he slowed down with a 71 on Saturday before closing with a 69 on Sunday. He finished 6-under for a T16 finish. It was actually solid and steady golf, but he never really got close to the top of the leaderboard.

Thomas needed a solo seventh or better to move inside the top 30. But in the end, he finished No. 43 in the FedExCup standings. For a player like Thomas, that’s a really tough way to end the season. No trophy, no Tour Championship berth, and an early playoff exit.

Sungjae Im Came So Close to Saving His Season

Sungjae Im’s week at the BMW looked really promising. He opened with a 67 and then caught fire with a 64 in the second round, quickly moving up the leaderboard. After a 70 in the third round, he was sitting solo seventh. Even better, he was projected to be the No. 30 player in the FedExCup standings. And then Sunday happened.

For a while, Sungjae Im was actually the only player who had moved into the top 30 during the final round. He had it. He was in. But a closing 71, his worst round of the week, changed everything. Im still finished T10 at Bellerive and 8 under par for the week, which is an excellent result. But he still dropped to No. 37 in the FedExCup standings.

Maverick McNealy had the best week but not enough

Honestly, Maverick McNealy might have played the best golf, and the crazy part is, he didn’t even need one huge round to do it. He was just good all week at Bellerive. He started with 67 and 66, followed that with a 69, and then closed with a 68 on Sunday at the BMW. He never shot worse than 69 all week. That’s seriously impressive.

His 10-under 270 gave him a T7 finish, his 12th top-10 of 2026. But sadly, that was not enough. He finished the week at No. 42 in the FedExCup standings, far outside the top 30. And honestly, that’s really tough. You play four good rounds, finish T7, and still don’t make it to East Lake.

That’s one of the hardest parts of the FedExCup system. McNealy had every reason to feel good about his game. But after such a strong season, ending it this way has to hurt.

Ryo Hisatsune and Aaron Rai: Big weeks from two pros

Ryo Hisatsune started this week like a man on a mission. He opened with a 65, one of the lowest rounds of the tournament, and suddenly looked like someone who could make a serious push. Then things got a little messy.

He followed it with a 70, bounced back with a 67, and closed with a 71. Still, his 7-under 273 and T12 finish are a very good result, especially in his first full PGA Tour season. Hisatsune finished at No. 47 in the FedExCup standings.

Reigning PGA Championship winner, Aaron Rai, on the other hand, finished at T16 but missed out on the Tour Championship. He finished No. 39 in the FedExCup Standings. And then there’s Michael Brennan, whose story is just as frustrating. He shot 69-65-69-69 for an 8-under T10 finish. 

Brennan won the Wyndham Championship earlier this month, so coming to Bellerive and following that up with another top-10? That’s not a fluke. Brennan was showing that he could really play. But the season as a whole had too many bumps. He missed 9 cuts, and that ended up hurting him badly. He finished No. 46 in the FedExCup standings. 

Honestly, that’s what makes their stories so frustrating. Hisatsune and Brennan played well when it mattered at Bellerive, but the damage from the rest of the season was already done. One good week couldn’t save them. Golf can be incredibly cruel sometimes. And this week at Bellerive was a perfect example of that.