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That Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler are good players is clear as day, right? Brilliant players, even if their recent results do not reflect the kind of golfers they can be. In their 2025 season alone, they have struggled and often relied on sponsors’ exemptions to play in important events (Fowler: 6, and Spieth: 5). However, Spieth finally shares his thoughts on the situation after months following their controversy.

Ahead of the 2025 Wyndham Championship, Spieth has shared his reservations about relying on exemptions, noting that even with multiple exemptions, he wouldn’t prefer to receive them. Talking about the same, the World No. 51 said, “Yeah, because I don’t — I didn’t like asking for exemptions this year at all. I was fortunate to receive a lot of them, but you just never know.” However, part of the reason he still satisfies himself with these exemptions is that he would hate to miss out on signature events, considering the kind of fields they host.

Yet, he continues, “it would be nice to have a huge boost this week and not have to worry about it next week, but I’m fully prepared to have some stress next week on that 50 number, and ideally a good start this week or next week takes a lot of that off.” However, this statement comes during an important point, especially considering how Spieth’s 2024 season went down around this time.

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Last year, Jordan Spieth participated in the St Jude Championship, the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but missed qualifying for the BMW Championship due to his ranking outside the top 50 in the 2024 FedEx Cup standings. This ranking also affected his eligibility for some key tournaments this season. Fortunately, his high profile earned him exemptions into those events, allowing him to compete — something that he says he does not like asking for.

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Now, if he doesn’t want to rely on another series of sponsor exemptions in the following season, he’ll need to move up a bit in the world rankings this week. Spieth continues at the presser, “So I’m looking — I’d like to finish strong this year.” 

Despite a challenging off-season recovery from wrist surgery, he’s notched seven top-20 finishes in 16 starts, including top-five showings at the WM Phoenix Open and The CJ CUP Byron Nelson. However, his recent form has dipped, with only one top-20 finish in his last six events, partly due to limited play after sustaining a shoulder injury at the 2025 Travelers Championship and then welcoming his third child with wife Annie in July. However, his fellow pro has similar goals when it comes to the rest of the season.

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Rickie Fowler is hoping to make it to the top 50 soon.

Rickie Fowler’s recent performances have shown promising signs of resurgence. A T7 finish at the 2025 Memorial, courtesy of a sponsor invitation, was followed by a strong showing at The Open, where a final-round 65 propelled him to T14. Despite these successes, Fowler still lacks a full exemption for the 2026 season, making his current ranking crucial. With a nine-spot cushion, he’s heading into the Wyndham Championship to creep closer to the top-50 cutoff. However, he’ll need to overcome a recent trend, having missed the cut in his last two appearances at Sedgefield in 2021 and 2022.

What’s your perspective on:

Can Spieth and Fowler reclaim their glory days, or are they destined to rely on exemptions?

Have an interesting take?

Rickie Fowler’s career trajectory has been uneven: a strong summer two years ago with a win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, followed by a decline last year, where he finished 108th in the FedExCup standings and missed the playoffs. Currently, he finds himself in a state of limbo. In a season that has been neither particularly strong nor completely forgettable, Rickie Fowler navigates the uncertain waters of a player seeking balance. And he has yet to find it.

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He entered the 3M Open ranked 63rd in the FedExCup. “At the end of the day, good golf solves a lot of things,” Fowler said after his first round, his tone equal parts pragmatic and hopeful. Luckily, I’ve been starting to play a little bit better these last few months and have had some decent finishes. … Ultimately, I think my initial goal is to make it to BMW and be inside the top 50, but we’ll take it day by day for now.” 

He eventually finished the tournament at T28 and climbed two spots in the FedExCup rankings. He now ranks 61st. Now, whether that will motivate him this week is another thing, but let’s hope he makes it into the later months of this season.

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"Can Spieth and Fowler reclaim their glory days, or are they destined to rely on exemptions?"

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