The second leg of the FedExCup playoff events, the BMW Championship, returns to Bellerive Country Club for the first time since 2008. Though 50 players will tee off this week, Im Sung-jae was one of the few to build momentum after his tie for fifth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Several players didn’t need to fight as much as he did to qualify, yet they disappointed fans with their performances.

Since only the top 30 in the standings will advance to the season finale, these golfers now face immense pressure to rebound from their disastrous Memphis outings as they head to St. Louis. Here are some of the names in the list.

Collin Morikawa

Collin Morikawa didn’t have to work a lot to make it to this week’s BMW Championship. He had arrived at the FedEx St. Jude Championship ranked 5th in the FedExCup rankings, so it was impossible not to make it to St. Louis. But the week in Memphis was disappointing, to say the least.

He posted his worst score of the week on Sunday, shooting 72, including a bogey on the final hole. Eventually, he finished the week in a tie for 52nd with Shane Lowry and Riyo Hisatsune. He slipped in the updated standings, now ranked 9th.

So, what’s up with him? His short game is sometimes spotty, but he ranks first on the PGA Tour in SG: Approach the Green. But stats aren’t the only problem. Morikawa battled with a back injury early this season and posted some objectionable finishes, including T62 at the Cadillac Championship.

Only the top-30 in the standings will make it to the Tour Championship. Again, it’s possible for Morikawa to make it to the next week, but he will need to be careful. In his last five appearances at the BMW Championship, he has never finished inside top-20. His best came with a T-25 in 2023.

Even if he doesn’t win, he would be expected to finish inside the top 10.

Ryan Fox

There is no doubt Ryan Fox is a fast player. On Sunday at the St. Jude Championship, playing partner Sahith Theegala and he finished their rounds within three hours and one minute. That isn’t a problem. But what is, though, are the results.

After R1, he sat 60th in the field of 70, just one shot better than Rory McIlroy. Similar scores in the next three rounds, including a Sunday 67, did little to help his case, and he eventually finished the week tied for 58.

When Fox entered the week, he was ranked 22nd in the FedExCup standings. But following Sunday, he slipped a little, now 25th. Is it over for him? Not yet, but Fox will need to be incredibly careful this week, especially since his last appearance here gave him a T43. His overall stats on the PGA Tour are also questionable, including SG: Around the Green (89th), SG: Approach the Green (86th), and SG: Putting (77th), among others.

He earned 9.5 points from his Memphis finish.

Rory McIlroy

It is safe to say the two-time Masters champ didn’t have his best stuff last week. It makes sense for Rory McIlroy, who finished 25 strokes behind the winner Scottie Scheffler. For his efforts in the St. Jude Championship, where he ended the week at 66th, he earned 7.250 FedExCup points.

So, what’s the reason?

First of all, McIlroy hadn’t played competitively since The Open last month, and the effects were quite obvious. His game deteriorated over the week, so much so that he failed to record a single round under par. Not only that, he admitted he didn’t feel comfortable with his swing. His SG: Tee to Green performance was also problematic, where he ranked 62nd out of 68 players.

As per reports, McIlroy will work on his game with coach Michael Bannon and caddie Harry Diamond before arriving at this week’s BMW Championship, where he has finished inside the top 15 in last the five appearances.

It’s not a question whether he will be able to make it to the Tour Championship, since he ranks 13th in the standings. However, a fourth FedExCup title seems largely out of the question.

Robert MacIntyre

The week at Memphis was a disaster for Robert MacIntyre. Though he played only the Thursday round, he carded a 12-over-par 82, including three double bogeys and one triple bogey. He recorded just one birdie and finished eight shots adrift at the bottom of the leaderboard heading into R2.

Before the Friday round could come around, however, he withdrew due to a knee injury, as per the PGA Tour. It made sense. It was the worst round of his career, as per Rick Gehman, losing 12.45 strokes to the field. And, just like McIlroy, he hadn’t played competitively in four weeks, and it more made sense to withdraw than to risk further damage.

MacIntyre entered the week ranked 31st in the standings; however, he fell to 36th by Sunday. That means that, though he will be in the field this week at the BMW Championship, he will need incredible effort to extend his playoff week to the Tour Championship.

Meanwhile, his record at the BMW Championship is also a mixed bag. He finished second last season, but withdrew in the previous one.

Aaron Rai

Aaron Rai finished only one shot better than McIlroy at the St. Jude Championship. After his win at the PGA Championship, Rai hasn’t given any promising performance. He missed the cut thrice and has not finished better than T11 (U.S. Open) since. Last week in Memphis, he finished tied for 63 and earned only 7.750 FedExCup points.

Despite his poor finish last week, where his only sub-70 round came on Friday, Rai gets to play the BMW Championship this week. He ranks 37th in the standings as of now, but he will need to improve his performance this week to earn a spot in the Tour Championship.

It will be a difficult task for Rai, again.

The last time he played here, he finished T43 and, not to mention, his stats aren’t too promising either. He ranks well outside top-100 in Strokes Gained: Putting and 81st in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. He will need to turn-around his game.

Sahith Theegala, Akshay Bhatia, and Justin Thomas also finished the week outside the top 45. They will still get to play the BMW Championship based on the points they have earned so far, taking the course when the 50-man field officially tees off at Bellerive Country Club on Thursday, August 20, 2026.