It’s the end of July 2025, and we’re at the final event of the season before the FedEx Cup playoffs. The 2025 Wyndham Championship is the last opportunity for many golfers to make the top 70 and qualify for the FedEx St Jude Championship. Max Homa has already stated his intent to go for the win so that he can make it to next week’s events. But someone who has been there and done that against some of the best legends, Jim Gallagher, Jr., suggests it is not going to be as easy.
The 64-year-old joined Eamon Lynch on Golf Channel’s YouTube channel. That’s when the analyst asked him if the pros are now playing for specific positions on the FedEx Cup leaderboard. Gallagher replied to Lynch on Golf Central, “Absolutely! And that’s bad. When you look down this list, it’s listed. It’s already on pgatour.com. This is what so and so has to do. I think you get caught up in that, where all I got to do is make the cut, and that’s about all you do.”
Unlike other tournaments throughout the season, the Wyndham Championship can be considered a more critical event before the playoffs. It gives the pros a last shot at making the field for the FedEx St Jude Championship. Other than Homa, players like the Hojgaard brothers, Gary Woodland, Adam Scott, Tom Kim, Sahith Theegala, and many other big names still need to qualify for the top 70. All of them will push for a win at Sedgefield Country Club to give themselves the best shot at playing every playoff event.
After sharing his own experience of what he went through when he was put in the same position, Gallagher added, “Your mind plays crazy things on you. That’s when you’re watching everything and your mind’s wandering. But yeah, the mindset changes because you know exactly if you’re outside that number, what you have to possibly do. And you can only control two things: how you approach it and how you prepare it. And like Keith Mitchell said, it’s a lot about being positive when it’s hard to be, when some of these guys have decent years. But it’s hard to do it when your mind’s wandering on you.”
Mitchell, who sits only 5 FedEx Cup points outside the top 70, revealed how the event at Greensboro is going to be a big challenge for him. “It’s going to be an exciting week because I gave myself a chance,” he stated. As Gallagher suggests, this will be a huge mental challenge for Keith & Co. as they all will be calculating much more than how many strokes they need to make the cut. As someone who has won both the FedEx St Jude Championship and the Tour Championship, Jim Gallagher, Jr.’s insightful take might certainly prove valuable to a few young pros who are pushing for qualification.
August 11, 2024, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA: AARON RAI holds his 1st place trophy after winning the 2024 Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC. Greensboro USA – ZUMAb238 20240811_zsp_b238_020 Copyright: xJoshxBrownx
But there is more at stake in Indiana than just the FedEx Cup playoffs qualification. Those who have already made the top 30 are also featured in the tournament with other objectives.
Wyndham Championship helps in qualification beyond the FedEx Cup playoffs
For Tom Kim and Max Homa, FedEx Cup playoffs qualification will be at stake. But the likes of Keegan Bradley and Ben Griffin will be on the field with an entirely different objective. With the Ryder Cup top-6 qualification deadline closing in, the 2025 Wyndham Championship is one of the three events American pros will have to earn points. And with a weaker field in play, this is the perfect opportunity for Bradley and Griffin to grab a win and earn the 1,476 points at stake.
Both players sit just outside the top-6 of the Ryder Cup rankings. While winning the Wyndham Championship won’t push them within the merit qualification ranks, they will certainly get quite close to their goal. Griffin will only need about 300 more points, while Bradley will need around 700 for automatic entry. Hence, with no one ranked higher than them playing in Greensboro this week, this is the best shot for both players to gain a huge advantage for their Bethpage dream.
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