The PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs format has been a hot topic the last couple of seasons. Some fans love it while others consider it a joke. Even some of the players have voiced strong opinions on the matter. FedEx St. Jude Championship winner Hideki Matsuyama stopped just short of calling it unfair to Scottie Scheffler.
But there is one aspect that is undeniable: the structure of the FedEx Cup Playoffs create drama on both ends.
Not only is it interesting at the top, with superstars like Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Scheffler battling it out, but each round 20 players get cut.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship had 70 players in the field. That number has been whittled down to 50 for this week's BMW Championship. Sadly, PGA Tour fan favorite Tom Kim just missed out on advancing. He finished 51st in the standings after a brutal finish Sunday.
As Kim stood on the 16th tee, he was well above the cut line for this week. He was 6-under par, tied for 22nd. But an untimely string of poor play cost him any chance at a Tour Championship.
“I was actually cruising. A bogey on 16 cost me a lot. Then hit a good drive and then another really poor missed shot, just anywhere left is fine and missed it right,” Kim said after his round.
“I knew I needed something special on the last, and hit a good drive, and the wind switched and the wind started to pick up, and didn't cover.”
Indeed, the South Korean finished bogey, double, double to drop 28 places in the tournament. That was enough to place him 51st in the FedEx Cup Playoff standings.
Tom Kim FedEx Cup Playoffs cut short, eager for 2025 PGA Tour season
Despite the difficult finish to his season, Kim kept a level head and a positive outlook.
“I've played really good golf, and then had some tough finishes. I feel like 2024 has really kicked me in the butt. But I've gotten so much better. I've fought really hard just to get myself in this situation.”
Kim was coming off the best year of his career in 2022-2023. He notched nine top-10s, including two wins and made the cut in 22 of 27 events. 2024 was expected to the next step in the 22-year-old's career. Instead, he took a slight step backwards.
The South Korean native missed a higher cut percentage, while also only logging just two top-10s without a victory. But that has not changed his attitude toward the future.
“It is what it is… I'm just looking forward to getting some rest and getting ready for next year.”
The FedEx Cup Playoffs will continue on without Kim. The top 50 advance to this week's BMW Championship at Castle Pines in Denver, CO. for the first time. From there, the top 30 left standings will square off at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
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