Every year, the PGA Tour has a cutthroat race. Among hundreds of golfers, only a few get full membership for a season, while even fewer get to play the signature events. As the FedEx Fall Season concludes with the Shriners Children’s Open, that race has become more intense than ever. While J.T. Poston won at TPC Summerlin to secure his 2025 PGA Tour membership, was Michael S. Kim as lucky?

The South Korean pro had been struggling throughout 2024. Kim played 27 events but missed 13 cuts. When he arrived at the Shriners Children’s Open, he was on a streak of three consecutive missed cuts. However, he turned his performance around at TPC Summerlin. In the first three days, Kim’s performance was ordinary, but in the final round, he carded 10 birdies and tied the record for his lowest career round of 62.

As Poston headed toward the trophy, Kim posted his best finish of the season at T5. Subsequently, his FedExCup Fall ranking also improved. Before the event, Kim was ranked 129th, outside the top 125 and guaranteed to miss the 2025 card. However, as the PGA Tour posted on X, after his top-5 finish in Las Vegas, the 31-year-old is projected to be ranked 96th in the fall standings.

If his rank improves to place him in the top 100 on the PGA Tour standings, nothing will stand between Kim and his 2025 PGA Tour membership. Moreover, there are still four more events remaining before the 2024 season ends. That means Kim will have more chances to secure the 2025 card and continue to be on the PGA Tour. While Kim may secure his 2025 Tour card, another 6-time PGA Tour winner may lose it.

Once a top player, will Rickie Fowler miss the PGA Tour in 2025?

After playing the Open Championship in July and finishing solo 71st, Rickie Fowler did not tee up again on the PGA Tour until the Sanderson Farms Championship two weeks ago, as he was busy with dad duties. If you take a look at his performance this season, it is apparent that the 6-time PGA Tour winner has been struggling to finish at the top, having missed six cuts and posted only three top 25s.

Even at the Shriners Children’s Open, Fowler finished T23. As a result, the 35-year-old pro’s rank on the FedExCup Fall standings is projected to drop. Fowler is currently (at the time of publication) 108th in the standings, but it is predicted that he will decline to 111th after his TPC Summerlin finish.

If Fowler continues to post no top finishes, it will be inevitable that he will fail to secure his 2025 PGA Tour membership, marking the first time since his debut on the PGA Tour in 2010. More golfers will either gain or lose their PGA Tour cards for 2025, Fowler would hope he is not part of the latter group and hopefully, fulfill his new dream of majors in 2025.