Get to know the final 70 players standing as Playoffs begins

You can’t win if you don’t enter.

With only 70 players making this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind, compared to 125 in years past, advancing to the FedExCup Playoffs is harder than ever.

And it doesn’t get any easier after Week 1.

Only the top 50 after the FedEx St. Jude will advance to the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields outside Chicago, followed by only the top 30 to the TOUR Championship at East Lake in Atlanta. There, at the home of Bobby Jones, someone will raise the FedExCup trophy.

Herewith, a quick primer on the players who reached the start of the three-week postseason.

1. Jon Rahm: FedExCup runner-up in 2021 has cooled only slightly since becoming this season’s only four-time winner at Masters in April.

2. Scottie Scheffler: World No. 1 and WM Phoenix Open and PLAYERS champ finished 12th or better in staggering 18 consecutive starts.

3. Rory McIlroy: Three-time FedExCup champ won twice, most recently Genesis Scottish Open, and counted as U.S. Open runner-up among 10 top-10s.

4. Max Homa: Successfully defended at Fortinet, one of two wins, and enjoyed a career season with nine top-10s. Tied for fifth in last year’s FedExCup.

5. Wyndham Clark: After a breakout season with two wins (Wells Fargo Championship, U.S. Open) is in line to make his first TOUR Championship.

6. Brian Harman: The runaway Open Championship winner also had three runner-up finishes; looks to improve on T21 in last year’s FedExCup.

7. Viktor Hovland: Winner of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday did not miss a cut all season and finished top-20 in all four majors.

8. Keegan Bradley: Two wins included the Travelers Championship among fellow Northeast sports fans. No TOUR Championship starts since 2018.

9. Rickie Fowler: Comeback kid captured Rocket Mortgage Classic for first win in 4 1/2 years. Last man in the Playoffs last year at No. 125.

10. Tony Finau: Second two-win season (Texas Children’s Houston Open; Mexico Open at Vidanta); aiming for seventh straight TOUR Championship.

11. Jason Day: Victory at AT&T Byron Nelson was first win in five years; comeback season for former world No. 1 included eight top-10s.

12. Nick Taylor: Crowd-pleasing 70-foot winning putt at RBC Canadian Open made him the first Canadian to win it since 1954.

13. Patrick Cantlay: FedExCup champion two seasons ago has not won this season but has amassed eight top-10 finishes.

14. Tom Kim: Winner of Shriners Children’s Open went T6, T2 in last two starts; coming off ankle injury at Open Championship.

15. Sepp Straka: Late surge with John Deere win and T2 at Open Championship; Memphis was the site of 2022 playoff loss to Will Zalatoris.

16. Xander Schauffele: Two-time FedExCup runner-up has no wins, but nine top-10s and is 19-for-19 in cuts made. Won the 2017 TOUR Championship.

17. Tyrrell Hatton: Final-round 65 at THE PLAYERS to finish second, 17-for-18 in cuts made with seven top-10s. Two top-20s in the last two starts.

18. Si Woo Kim: Sony Open in Hawaii winner with consecutive 64s on the weekend, T2 at AT&T Byron Nelson with final-round 63.

19. Sam Burns: Followed a three-win season with WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play triumph. Quiet since but coming off T14 at Wyndham.

20. Russell Henley: Won at the World Wide Technology Championship in the fall and comes in hot after T2 at Wyndham. Hasn’t made it to East Lake since 2017.

21. Emiliano Grillo: Second PGA TOUR win at Charles Schwab Challenge. Hasn’t reached TOUR Championship since 2016.

22. Collin Morikawa: Runner-up finishes at Sentry, Rocket Mortgage among five top-10s, but no wins for No. 22 in both FEC and OWGR.

23. Kurt Kitayama: Won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, T4 at PGA Championship. Seeking first TOUR Championship berth.

24. Adam Schenk: Runner-up at Valspar Championship and Charles Schwab Challenge tacked on two more top-10 finishes in the last four starts.

25. Taylor Moore: Won Valspar with final-round 67 and recorded 11 top-25 finishes. Second straight year in the Playoffs.

26. Tommy Fleetwood: Still searching for his first TOUR win, lost in a playoff at RBC Canadian Open. Top-10s in the last two starts.

27. Denny McCarthy: Tough loss in a playoff at the Memorial, but six top-10s and 21 cuts made add up to his best season on TOUR.

28. Chris Kirk: Honda victory in February was the first in nearly eight years. Was FedExCup runner-up in lone TOUR Championship start in 2014.

29. Seamus Power: Earned bulk of FedExCup points in fall with a win in Bermuda, T3 at Mayakoba and T5 at The RSM Classic.

30. Corey Conners: Won Valero Texas Open, T8 at Wells Fargo, T9 at Travelers. Looking for a third straight East Lake start.

31. Jordan Spieth: Lost playoff at RBC Heritage for best finish. Six top-10s with T3 at Valspar and T4s at Arnold Palmer and Masters.

32. Sungjae Im: Runner-up in ’22 FedExCup had seven top-10s, 21 cuts made. Needs a rally to make a fifth straight TOUR Championship.

33. Justin Rose: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am marked the first win in four years. Won FedExCup in 2018; has not played TOUR Championship since 2019.

34. Sahith Theegala: Followed great rookie year with strong sophomore season – T2 at RSM, ninth at Masters, 22 cuts made.

35. Lee Hodges: First TOUR win at 3M Open. Played first Playoffs event last year as a rookie, T13 at FedEx St. Jude Championship.

36. Matt Fitzpatrick: Beat Spieth in an epic playoff at RBC Heritage, but otherwise a relatively quiet season with four top-10s in 20 starts.

37. Adam Svensson: Maiden win at The RSM Classic in the fall was one of only three top-10s, including T7 at Wyndham Championship.

38. Byeong Hun An: With T3 at Genesis Scottish Open, T2 at Wyndham, is trending and back in Playoffs for first time since 2020.

39. Brendon Todd: Closest calls came via T2 at AT&T Pebble Beach (final-round 65) and John Deere; comes in hot after T7 at Wyndham.

40. Eric Cole: Impressed with a playoff loss at The Honda Classic; tied fifth at Mexico Open at Vidanta, in the mix for Rookie of the Year.

41. Andrew Putnam: Four top-10s, T2 at ZOZO with second-round 62. Fifth Playoffs appearance in the last six seasons.

42. Patrick Rodgers: Veteran still looking for first TOUR win, lost in a playoff at Barracuda. Has made Playoffs in six of the last seven seasons.

43. Harris English: Tied second at Arnold Palmer, T8 at U.S. Open. Healthy after making just 12 starts due to injury last season.

44. Adam Hadwin: Second at Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Nick Taylor. Lost the Rocket Mortgage playoff, three straight MCs since.

45. Tom Hoge: Tied third at THE PLAYERS with course-record 62 in the second round; T3 at Sentry TOC with final-round 64.

46. Mackenzie Hughes: Claimed Sanderson Farms for second TOUR win, advanced to quarterfinals of WGC-Dell Match Play.

47. Cameron Young: Reigning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year lost in the Championship Match of WGC-Dell Match Play, made 17 of 20 cuts.

48. J.T. Poston: Late-season Playoffs push came via T6 at John Deere, T6 at Genesis Scottish Open, T2 at 3M Open, T7 Wyndham.

49. Lucas Glover: Premier ball-striker has figured out the putting as evidenced by low-stress Wyndham win over the weekend.

50. Nick Hardy: Won Zurich Classic of New Orleans (with teammate Davis Riley) to help qualify for the Playoffs for the first time.

51. Alex Smalley: Second straight Playoffs appearance after T2 at John Deere, 10 top-25s; two MCs in last two starts.

52. Thomas Detry: Another rookie, had four top-15s in fall, including runner-up in Bermuda, to get off to a hot start. Made 19 cuts.

53. Taylor Montgomery: Rookie had five top-15 finishes in his first five starts in the fall but has cooled with four missed cuts in the last four starts.

54. Davis Riley: Nabbed first PGA TOUR win at Zurich with Nick Hardy but hasn’t finished in the top 30 since April.

55. Brandon Wu: Second straight trip to Playoffs – T2 at Pebble Beach, third at Mexico Open highlight the season.

56. Hayden Buckley: Second at Sony in January, two top-10s in April, second straight Playoffs appearance. Out since June (rib injury).

57. Hideki Matsuyama: Only two top-10s, none since fifth at THE PLAYERS. His 10th straight Playoffs start, but worst starting position.

58. Keith Mitchell: Eight top-25s including T4 at Pebble Beach, T5 at 3M in most recent start. Sixth straight year making Playoffs.

59. Mark Hubbard: After a decent fall, struggled in spring, but rebounded with four top-10s in the last nine starts to earn third Playoffs berth.

60. Matt Kuchar: The streak lives! Has made Playoffs every year since the inception of FedExCup in ’07. That’s 17 straight.

61. Stephan Jaeger: A cut-making machine this season, reaching weekend rounds in 25 of 28 starts, with eight top-25s.

62. Cam Davis: T6 at THE PLAYERS broke a streak of five missed cuts; finished strong with T10 at 3M Open and T7 at Wyndham.

63. Sam Ryder: Has finished season between 100-125 in FedExCup for five straight seasons; T7 at recent 3M Open one of four top-10s.

64. Sam Stevens: Tied third at Corales Puntacana and second at Valero Texas Open in consecutive weeks. Made 17 cuts all season.

65. Aaron Rai: Late-season surge included T3 RBC Canadian Open, T24 Travelers, T9 Rocket Mortgage, T20 3M Open.

66. Beau Hossler: Finished strong with T6 Barracuda, T13 3M Open; third at Zurich, with Wyndham Clark, was also helpful.

67. Matt NeSmith: Roared out of the gates with three top-10s, including T2 at Shriners Children’s Open, to start the season.

68. Vincent Norrman: TOUR rookie from Sweden proved he belongs with a playoff victory at Barbasol Championship in July.

69. J.J. Spaun: Steady if unspectacular season saw him make 19 cuts in 26 starts, with three top-10s, his best a T5 at Sentry.

70. Ben Griffin: TOUR rookie squeaked through with one top-10 all season, a T3 at Butterfield Bermuda Championship.