GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 05: Brooks Koepka of the United States plays a shot from the greenside bunker on the fifth hole during the Pro-Am ahead of the Wyndham Championship 2026 at Sedgefield Country Club on August 05, 2026, in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
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The Wyndham Championship brings the PGA Tour regular season to a close and sets the final field for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. For two players in particular, the week at Sedgefield Country Club carries significant stakes.
Jackson Kouvin, the college standout who recently turned professional, entered the tournament needing a finish of 30th or better to secure a spot in his first FedEx Cup Playoff series. Kouvin made the jump to the professional ranks after competing in the NCAA Championship and the U.S. Open. His Auburn Tigers captured the national championship at Omni La Costa.
His early PGA Tour run began with a missed cut at the John Deere Classic, but Kouvin quickly responded with the kind of resilience that has defined his rise. He went on to win the 3M Open and added strong results with a T-10 finish at the ISCO Championship and a T-31 showing at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Speaking with Yahoo Sports, Kouvin acknowledged the pressure of sitting on the FedEx Cup Playoffs bubble while trying to keep his focus on the course. “Yeah, I mean, I’ll just try not to think about it too much. At the end of the day, it’s an uncontrollable, and if I go play well, I can hopefully be inside of that top 70.”
Kouvin enters the final round tied for 15th at the Wyndham Championship and positioned 70th in the FedEx Cup standings, holding the final playoff spot. Mac Meissner, who is 71st and trails Kouvin by 12 FedEx Cup points, missed the cut. With Meissner out of the weekend, Kouvin is assured of a place in the playoffs.
Brooks Koepka, back on the PGA Tour this year, is also chasing a postseason berth. The major champion now has an opportunity to reach the FedEx Cup Playoffs in his first season since returning to the tour.
“Yeah, I gotta play well this week. I feel like I’ve always done a pretty good job, like back’s against the wall, and done pretty well,” Koepka said in an interview published by Yahoo Sports. “And hopefully take that this week. I think it’d be—it’s a good opportunity to go out and go play well.”
Koepka’s path into the FedEx Cup Playoffs seemed unlikely after withdrawing from the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He currently sits 86th in FedEx Cup points. This is Koepka’s first tournament back since the Open Championship, where he tied for 28th.
His lack of participation in tournaments following the event may have been his downfall in his attempt to make the playoffs. He will need a solo fourth-place finish at the Wyndham Championship, but that seems unlikely after a four-over-par third round left him well outside the leaders.
Timothy is a founding member of Break80 Golf and a contributing golf and sports writer for Forbes with PGA Tour and LIV Golf media credentials. Timothy can be reached at break80podcast@gmail.com for inquiries or story leads.
