"Hard to See His Face Anymore"... Full Seed Failure for PGA Star

FedEx Cup Final Tournament Ends with Survival at 125th Place
Conditional Seed up to 150th Place, Next Month's Q-School Opportunity
Dafner, Snedeker, Walker, Noh Seung-yeol Face 'Hardship Road'

The PGA Tour in the United States concluded on the 19th with the RSM Classic. Players who fail to rank within the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings face the risk of losing their tour cards. Those ranked up to 150 receive conditional status and can participate, but their opportunities to compete in tournaments are limited. The PGA Tour Qualifying School (Q-School) will be held next month, but only the top 5 finishers can join the regular tour. Passing this process is not easy. These players are gradually fading from golf fans' memories.

Jason Dufner's FedEx Cup ranking has dropped to 165th, reducing his opportunities to participate in next year's tournaments.

The most representative player is Jason Dufner (USA). He joined the tour in 2004 and has won a total of five times, including the 2013 major PGA Championship. In Korea, it was a hot topic that golf legend Tiger Woods (USA) had an affair with Dufner’s wife, Amanda Boyd. Dufner ranked 165th this year. Next year, he will play under the category for past winners who have made more than 150 starts in the main field.

Veteran Jimmy Walker (USA) is ranked 139th in the FedEx Cup standings. He debuted as a professional in 2001 and moved between the secondary tour without notable results until he barely entered the PGA Tour in 2006. He has accumulated six wins, including becoming a major champion by winning the 2016 PGA Championship. Walker used his career money exemption card last year. This year, he played in 31 tournaments, with a tie for 13th at the Farmers Insurance Open in January as his best finish.

Nick Watney (USA) is also on a difficult path. He is a golfer with five PGA Tour wins. His last victory was at the 2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs first event, The Barclays. This season, he participated in 32 tournaments but only made the cut eight times. He failed to enter the top 10 even once and is ranked 199th in the FedEx Cup standings. He used his career money exemption category last year. Next year, he is likely to play only in tournaments he has won.

Brent Snideker struggled with a back injury and ranked 213th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Brent Snedeker (USA) is ranked 213th in the FedEx Cup. He missed eight months due to a back injury and only played in 11 tournaments this year. Jack Johnson (USA), who was the Ryder Cup captain this year, is ranked 168th. Charlie Hoffman (4 wins, 141st), Sean O’Hair (4 wins, 166th), and James Hahn (2 wins, 171st), all from the USA, are also expected to see their appearances sharply decrease.

From Korea, Kim Joo-hyung, Im Sung-jae, Kim Si-woo, and Lee Kyung-hoon have secured full status for next year. However, the other players must fight a desperate battle for survival. No Seung-yeol (1 win) ranked 172nd, Kang Sung-hoon (1 win) 196th, and Bae Sang-moon (2 wins) 224th all struggled this season.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.