The PGA Tour fall season comes to a close this week at The RSM Classic.
Starting Thursday at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Georgia, players will compete on both the Seaside and Plantation courses in what’s their final opportunity to secure their 2026 status.
This year brings a significant change to the Tour’s eligibility structure. Only the top 100 in the FedExCup standings will retain fully exempt status for next season. Players finishing between 101-110 will still get plenty of starts without facing reshuffles, while those between 111-125 will receive conditional status – likely similar to what the bottom third of this year’s reorder category experienced.
Several players near the top 100 bubble don’t actually need to worry – they’re already fully exempt for 2026. This includes William Mouw (No. 93), Michael Brennan (No. 98), Karl Vilips (No. 100), Max Homa (No. 101), Tom Kim (No. 106) and Adam Scott (No. 107). Homa, Kim and Scott aren’t in the field this week.
Every player from Matt Wallace at No. 102 down to Chesson Hadley at No. 203 can mathematically reach the top 100 with a win. Wallace needs the least help – he can get there with a solo 43rd finish or better.
On the safer side, players ranked 84-87 are skipping the RSM, having already secured their positions inside the top 100. Everyone down to Mark Hubbard at No. 94 is likely safe too. Based on projections from eligibility experts, approximately 600 FedExCup points should guarantee a top 100 finish, while around 570 points should still be enough.
Using the 600-point threshold, here’s what bubble players need this week:
- Hubbard (No. 94) can clinch with just a made cut (solo 78th)
- Ryo Hisatsune (No. 95) needs a solo 46th
- Thorbjorn Olesen (No. 96) needs a solo 26th
- Danny Walker (No. 97) needs a solo 24th
- Takumi Kanaya (No. 99) needs a two-way tie for 16th
It’s worth noting that while Vilips and Brennan are already exempt for 2026, they could still drop out of the top 100, potentially allowing a previously non-exempt player to move in.
Beyond Wallace, every player down to Hadley at No. 203 needs a victory to crack the top 100. Gordon Sargent, ranked 204th, is the first player mathematically eliminated from reaching the top 100 – though the Vanderbilt grad already has 2026 fully exempt status through PGA Tour University’s Accelerated program.
*fully exempt through at least 2026 (doesn’t include career-money exemptions)
