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The BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club is the second event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs. Only the top 30 players in the season-long standings after this week will qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake. Players ranked outside that mark must gain enough points at Caves Valley to move up, with specific finish positions required based on their current totals.
Heading into the event, several big names are in positions that require strong performances. PGA Tour writer Paul Hodowanic updated this in an X post on August 11. The caption of his post read:
"Here are the MINIMUM finishes that the players outside the top 30 will need at the BMW Championship to reach the TOUR Championship.
31. Sam Stevens: two-way T40
32. Ryan Gerard: solo 39th
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33. Daniel Berger: three-way T33
34. Ryan Fox: solo 30th
35. Taylor Pendrith: two-way T28
36. Thomas Detry: two-way T27
37. Kurt Kitayama: solo 24th
38. Denny McCarthy: solo 24th
39. Brian Campbell: three-way T23
40. Matt Fitzpatrick: two-way T21
41. Si Woo Kim: two-way T21
42. Michael Kim: solo 21st
43: Xander Schauffele: solo 21st
44. Jason Day: two-way T20
45. Harry Hall: solo 18th
46. Bud Cauley: solo 15th
47. Tom Hoge: solo 14th
48. Rickie Fowler: solo 13th
49: Jhonattan Vegas: two-way T11
50. J.T. Poston: solo 11th
Among these, here are five of the biggest names under pressure this week, ranked from fifth to first.
Five at-risk big-name golfers entering the 2025 BMW Championship
5. Daniel Berger
Daniel Berger begins the BMW Championship in 33rd place in the FedEx Cup standings with 1,180 points. According to PGA Tour projections, he needs at least a three-way tie for 33rd or better to secure a spot in the top 30. Berger, a four-time PGA Tour winner, claimed victories at the 2017 FedEx St. Jude Classic, the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge, and the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He has made 16 cuts in 20 starts this season, with a best finish of T2 at the WM Phoenix Open. Sportsbooks currently list Berger at around +10,000 to win at Caves Valley.
4. Jason Day
Jason Day enters the week ranked 44th in the FedEx Cup standings with 1,093 points. To advance, he must finish T20 or better at the BMW Championship based on current projections. Day has 13 career PGA Tour wins, including the 2015 PGA Championship and victories in the 2014 WGC Match Play. In 2023, he ended a five-year win drought by winning the AT&T Byron Nelson. His 2025 season includes 12 made cuts in 17 starts, with four top-10 finishes, including a T3 at the American Express. Day ranks. His current odds are +6500.
3. Matt Fitzpatrick
Matt Fitzpatrick starts the BMW Championship 40th in the FedEx Cup with 1,104 points and must finish T21 or better to qualify for East Lake. The Englishman has eight professional wins worldwide, including the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline. In 2025, Fitzpatrick has recorded nine top-10 finishes in 20 starts, highlighted by a T4 at the Genesis Scottish Open and a T4 at the Open Championship. His odds to win at Caves Valley are around +4000.
2. Rickie Fowler
Rickie Fowler is ranked 48th with 1,032 points and must finish at least solo 13th at the BMW Championship to reach the Tour Championship. Fowler has six career PGA Tour wins, including the 2015 Players Championship. His 2025 season includes two top-10 finishes, including a T6 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, moving him up from 64th to 48th in the standings. His odds for the BMW Championship are +6000.
1. Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele begins in 43rd place in the FedEx Cup with 1,099 points, needing a solo 21st or better finish at the BMW Championship to qualify. Schauffele has nine PGA Tour wins, including the 2022 Travelers Championship. He also won the 2021 Olympic Gold Medal in Tokyo. In 2025, Schauffele has nine top-25 finishes in 14 starts, with a best of T7 at The Open Championship. His current odds are around +2200 to win at Caves Valley.
