The Butterfield Bermuda Championship could be just another fall stop.. But for many, it was the penultimate event of the FedExCup Fall, carrying a level of urgency if one keeps in mind the PGA Tour’s new structure. With only the top 100 locking up full status for next year, every round in Bermuda had a weight. Yet, few collapsed under its burden, three of which were notable.

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1. Matt Wallace slips at the wrong time

For Matt Wallace, the week at the FedExCup Fall began at No. 97th. This puts him technically inside the safety zone, but not without a lingering fear of further spiraling. His year was mixed, with 15 cuts made in 28 starts. Among impressive showings, he had a T2 at the Omega European Masters in August and a T3 at the 3M Open.

That made Bermuda a much-needed chance to firm up his 2026 card. Instead, Wallace shot 73-70 (+1) and missed the cut. Now he’ll likely sit outside the top 100 of the fall standings, presumably between the 105-115 range. That’s a damaging result, and the chance to recover is slim. The 35-year-old will now have to look for other avenues.

And that is the RSM Classic. The last event on the PGA Tour Fall calendar, this event at Sea Island. This event will decide whether Wallace gets a full PGA Tour status or will have to rely on his DPWT standing with sporadic US starts.

2. Lanto Griffin’s make-or-break spiral

Few players arrived in Bermuda with their season teetering as precariously as Lanto Griffin. His 2025 season was grinding; he had injury interruptions, several withdrawals, and uneven form. This pushed him deep into the 142nd on the FedEx Cup ranking and 119th on the Fall ranking. His third-place finish at the Procore Championship seemed like a career revival, but now Bermuda’s cut might have watered it down.

Griffin posted a +3 (74-71) to miss the cut at 145. He was already scrambling for a place in next year’s field, and now his missed cut makes it seem impossible. With only the RSM Classic left on the schedule, Griffin will need another week of his Procore triumph. That means, a top-10 or something close to that.

An added layer is his experience at the Sea Island. The venue has not been kind to him, as he missed the cut there in 2022. But this year cannot allow space for past trends. If he can’t climb back inside the top 100 at RSM, he’ll be staring down at a conditional status, or maybe a return to Q-school. At 37, alternate paths to the PGA Tour should not be his goal.

3. Luke Clanton missed the cut, but not the season

Luke Clanton’s missed cut in Bermuda came with the same score as Griffin’s – 145. Yet, his season is dramatically different. At 22, Clanton is navigating a learning curve in golf, the most significant one – a transition from an amateur to professional golf. He entered Bermuda ranked 199th, with only 41 regular-season FedEx points. While he didn’t advance to the weekends, his story doesn’t end.

His PGA Tour card for 2026 is already secured through his exemption category as a standout amateur. So what Clanton actually needs from these fall events is consistency. Bermuda marks his fourth missed cut since turning pro in June. The most recent of them was at the Procore Championship.

If he wants to affirm his name as a solid player on Tour, he needs to secure some good finishes, with a head-turning performance. Otherwise, he’ll just be another forgotten lore. And for all that, the clock is running now.

All of these narratives funnel to just one location: Sea Island, the home of the RSM Classic. With their missed cuts at Bermuda, the priorities for their season might have changed significantly. Griffin and Wallace will have to survive there with more pressure. Clanton, on the other hand, heads with more runway.