ST. LOUIS — While Wyndham Clark saw his five-shot lead over the field at Bellerive whittle away only to win for the third time in 2026, there was no shortage of drama elsewhere on the course where three players who faced the Tour Championship bubble got bounced from the playoffs.
Those players were Kurt Kitayama, Bud Cauley and Rickie Fowler — who, respectively, entered the week ranked Nos. 28 through 30 in FedExCup points.
Cauley tied for 44th and dropped to 34th in points. Fowler tied for 37th and fell to 33rd.
The most stressful afternoon of the three belonged to Kitayama, who finished early Sunday at 4 under and awaited his fate.
“I got nothing, just going to wait and see,” said Kitayama, when asked after his round if he had a flight booked to Atlanta or home.
It wasn’t to be, however, for Kitayama. Patrick Cantlay finished solo second to grab a spot inside the top 30 (moving from 43rd to 19th). Robert MacIntyre also played his way in, finishing T-7 to go from 36th to 25th.
It was a nice bounce-back for the Scotsman, who withdrew after an 82 in the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. MacIntyre said Sunday that the reason for the WD was a Baker’s cyst on the back of his right knee.
“I’ve been getting serious pain when I squat down to read a putt and stuff, and after a long day’s practice session, and the way I’ve been playing lately I’ve been putting in long hours and just struggling to explode out of it and twist on it at the same time,” he described while also adding:
“It’s always good to extend the season on the PGA Tour an extra week.”
Gary Woodland was the third player to move into the top 30, jumping from 31st to 18th thanks to his tie for fourth. It’s his first Tour Championship appearance since 2019.
“I don’t really have words right now,” Woodland said after his round choking back his emotions. “I’m really proud of myself.”