As playoffs begin, we break down status of our Oklahoma PGA Tour crew

The FedEx Cup playoffs are off and running this week in Memphis and several players with strong Oklahoma ties are part of the mix.

Chris Gotterup, the former Oklahoma player, current Edmond resident and Oak Tree National member, is starting at No. 22 after his late-season surge which included winning the Scottish Open. He is followed by a couple of former OSU teammates in Viktor Hovland at No. 26 and Sam Stevens at No. 28. Stevens could only occasionally break into the starting lineup on that powerhouse Cowboy squad but he’s doing great now.

Also in the playoff hunt are Wyndham Clark at 49 and Rickie Fowler at 64.

But what about the guys not in the top 70. With PGA Tour exemptions reduced from 125 to 100 going forward, where do Max McGreevy (97), Taylor Moore (100), Austin Eckroat (107), Kris Ventura (121), Quade Cummins (145) and Kevin Tway (215) stand for next year.

With the help of Michael Baliker, director of PGA Tour communications, we’ve got a handle on some of this ever fluctuating battle for status.

What they are now calling the FedEx Cup Fall, a series of seven events after the Ryder Cup, will be an intense battle to stay in the top 100 between those currently 71-100 and move into it from those from 101 to 200 or more as a victory in one of those events will be huge.

Of the Oklahoma players, Baliker had this to say. McGreevy, Moore, Ventura and Cummins will need to finish in the top 100 to retain fully exempt status. Eckroat is exempt through 2027 by virtue of his two victories in 2024. Tway will fall into a past champions status if he fails to move into the top 100.

So for a rookie like Cummins, this seven week stretch offers the best chance to retain his card, as playing spots during all the majors and elevated events with reduced fields are hard to find. For McGreevy and Moore, they will have to play enough events to keep their tenuous holds on spots in the top 100. And then the 2026 season will begin!