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TSN Senior Reporter

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Thirty weeks are done and just one week remains on the PGA Tour’s regular season. As it has for some time, the year ends at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina, where dreams can die with one missed putt or one errant swing or live on with a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

This is the one week of the year where there may be more attention paid to where a player sits on the FedEx Cup standings than on the leaderboard. That goes not only for fans but for the players as well.

Two years ago, Ben Griffin came to the Wyndham in 68th place, hoping to sneak into the playoffs which admitted the top 70. He didn’t help things when he missed the cut and had to wait two more days before his fate was determined.

“I just remember there being a lot of uncertainty,” said Griffin. “I remember there being three different flights booked on Sunday night [because I was] not really sure where I was going to go. If my season was done, if I was flying home, if I was going on a vacation, if I was going to Memphis.”

On Sunday, Griffin watched Justin Thomas just miss a chip-in on his final hole, hitting the flag stick but coming to rest on the edge of the cup. That ball staying out meant Griffin ended the year in 70th spot and advanced to the playoffs while Thomas, in 71st place, went home.

“I remember watching that chip because we kind of knew if chipped it in, Justin, he was going to Memphis and I wasn't,” reflected Griffin, who was flanked by his girlfriend (now fiancé,) and parents. “He hit the flagstick and it barely missed and it was just nuts, kind of just the maybe relief, but my heart rate was super high just watching it.”

This year, Griffin, with two wins to his credit, will only have to book one airplane ticket at a time, knowing he’ll make it through all three playoff events.

Adam Scott has never had to worry about being on the outside looking in. At least, not until this year. The Australian veteran sits 85th in the standings and only a solid week will lift him into the playoffs.

“I actually think sometimes when it's like a last chance thing, this will be my last chance to play on the PGA TOUR potentially for some weeks, it's do or die and that's a fun way to play,” said Scott. “Sometimes we or I have fallen in the trap of like there's always next week if it doesn't work out and that's not the case here. So, I think that's not a pressure but more motivation.”

Scott made the playoffs for 16 consecutive years before his streak ended in 2023. This year, he arrives at the Wyndham needing a two-way tie for third or better to extend his season.

Jordan Spieth is in a better position but also finds this week to be vital for a playoff run. He is in 50th spot. If this was the end of the season, he’d be guaranteed entry into the Players and all eight Signature events. But he has two weeks – here at Wyndham and next week at the Memphis St. Jude Championship, to solidify that spot.

The top 70 make it to the first round of the playoffs, while the top 50 advance to the second stage, the BMW Championship. 

Although he’s had a solid season with four top 10s and another four in the top 20, he’s slipped the last stretch, playing just one of the past five events. Part of that was due to a neck injury and part because he and his wife welcomed their third child. During that period he fell from 39th to 50th.

“I didn't like asking for exemptions this year at all,” admitted Spieth of his access to the Signature tournaments. “I was fortunate to receive a lot of them, but you just never know. And when you miss out on elevated events, the way it's structured, they've got the best players in the world at all of them and you don't want to miss any of them.”

Three players in three different situations, all hoping the regular-season-ending Wyndham Championship will provide a boost to their seasons.