The first round at the 2025 Rocket Classic was dumbfounding. We saw nearly 129 players under par. The second day, however, was not so breezy. Because the variance in scoring was lower than usual, the competition was tighter. The fight for the weekend was intense, and that put players under immense pressure to make it to the weekend. While for many it would have been just another missed cut, for one player, making it into the weekend in Detroit mattered the most, and everything was on the line.
With the PGA Tour’s regular season drawing to a close, every opportunity to recover from a poor early season is disappearing for players chasing Tour card retention. Stacking up FedEx Cup points has now become a priority. Especially for Will Gordon. He made the cut in the most dramatic way possible. Gordon shot 3-under on each day, but with the scores going as low as 10-under, it clearly wasn’t enough. If it weren’t for his birdies on the final two holes, we wouldn’t have witnessed a heartwarming story as we do today.
Will Gordon has been playing on the Tour with a major medical extension and hasn’t had desirable finishes this year. While he did have two stellar top-10 finishes at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, and the Farmers Insurance Open, he missed 9 cuts out of the 13 events he played this season. These performances also meant that he wasn’t accumulating enough FedEx Cup points, and his PGA Tour status was starting to look dicey at the start of this week in Detroit. He needed about 0.644 points more to retain his card, and that meant he would have had to do everything in his power to play the last 36 holes. He managed to make it, tied for 64th, entering the weekend.
“It’s not in the back of my mind; it’s in the very front. But that’s why you play: to put yourself in moments like this and, hopefully, win golf tournaments. But I’m really proud of myself for executing under that pressure. I was just proud of keeping my head in it, fighting to the end. That’s what I do. It hadn’t been the prettiest kind of last three, four years, but I always fight,” Gordon expressed emotionally in a presser that he couldn’t be more proud of himself for achieving the feat under so much pressure. So proud that he was fighting back tears.
Now, he’ll play the rest of this season, through the fall, out of the Nos. 126-150 category. Not great, but also better than the alternative. Missing the cut would’ve meant Gordon losing his card for the second time in his career. Gordon finished No. 159 in FedExCup points in 2020-21. He re-earned his card via the Korn Ferry Tour Finals next year. He then finished No. 100 in points in 2022-23 before suffering a neck injury last season.
As a result, he missed five months after the 2024 WM Phoenix Open after three vertebrae in his cervicothoracic junction became so inflamed they weren’t turning left, and the issue caused ulnar nerve tension down into his elbows. Though he returned in July, he wasn’t symptom-free until October. He eventually finished at 191 in points after a T-30 finish at the RSM Classic.
Will Gordon fighting back tears after a birdie on the final holes to potentially make the cut.
He needs 0.6 FedEx Cup points this week to keep his PGA Tour card.
Grinding in his last start on medical exemption pic.twitter.com/yqVxxMVPKy
— Joe I (@TourPicks) June 27, 2025
And it’s not just him, but even the golfing community and several fans were visibly moved by this dramatic moment.
Fans react to Will Gordon making it to the weekend
“You can’t buy that kind of emotion!” a fan expressed, moved by the whole ordeal. Gordon knew how much this meant to him and how much pressure he was under to retain his card. The raw emotion that Gordon displayed isn’t something that can be faked or bought, and it is priceless to watch a moment like that unfold. Another fan chimed in and was also moved by Gordon’s last-minute entry into the weekend, “Heartwarming stuff.”
Many people argue that this kind of emotion is only found on the PGA Tour, and we have seen that in the success story of players like Luke Clanton, too. Being a Tour pro means so much to them that they truly cannot fight their emotions.
While Will Gordon is playing on a medical extension, some fans expressed frustration at why he couldn’t receive the same treatment as Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. “If the PGA tour gives Rickie Fowler or Jordan Spieth another sponsor exemption and this guy loses his card, it is scandalous @PGATOURComms @PGATOUR,” a fan expressed his frustration, highlighting the stark disparity. Rickie Fowler alone has received seven sponsor exemptions this year, and Spieth has received nearly four. These two players haven’t exactly had pleasant performances, and their exemptions are making fans annoyed.
Before the cut line was finalised at 6-under, it was predicted to be hovering around the 7-under mark. It wasn’t very certain for some time whether Gordon would make it to the weekend or not. “Love a good story hope it stays 6 just for him,” a fan expressed before the final cut line was declared, hoping that Gordon got what he deserved and was able to retain his card.
“Was so good to watch,” another chimed in, expressing the satisfaction from watching Gordon make birdies just in time. The last few holes were nail-biting, not just for Gordon, but even for several fans who were hoping he made it.
“Hopefully, I can get a top-10 or something,” Gordon said, expressing his feelings. “I’m just thankful for the people around me helping to support me and keep me going, and that’s why we’ll continue to wake up and do the same thing.” A story of resilience! Indeed!
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