India’s fifth-seeded men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered heartbreak at the BWF World Championships 2026 on Friday as they went down 18-21, 9-21 against third seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China in the quarterfinals at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
The defeat ended Satwik and Chirag’s hopes of adding another World Championships medal to their tally, having previously reached the semifinals in 2022 and 2025. Their exit also means India will finish the home edition with just one medal, secured by women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand after their quarterfinal victory earlier in the day.
Satwik-Chirag let opening game slip after taking lead
Satwik and Chirag, playing only their second match of the tournament after receiving a bye in the round of 64 and a walkover in the round of 32, made a slow start as Liang and Wang raced into a 3-0 lead.
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The Indians responded with flat smashes to level the score at 5-5, only for the Chinese pair to switch to body-line shots and move 8-5 ahead. Satwik and Chirag quickly fought their way back to 8-8 before consecutive errors from Liang and Wang helped the Indians take an 11-10 lead into the mid-game interval.
The contest remained tight after the break, with Satwik and Chirag managing to stay ahead until the closing stages. Liang and Wang began keeping their shots lower and reduced the deficit before eventually moving 19-18 ahead.
The Indians then committed back-to-back errors as the Chinese pair took three straight points to close out the opening game 21-18.
Chirag felt their game plan had worked for most of the opener but said losing it from a strong position changed the direction of the match.
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“The first game was very good. We were leading until 18, and I think the game plan we had set was working very well. But after we lost the first game, I think they came back much harder in the second game,” Chirag said.
Satwik said the battle for control in the opening exchanges of each rally had been crucial, particularly against a Chinese pair comfortable playing at a high pace.
“They like to play the faster game. They were very good in the first four shots. Whoever controlled the first four shots was winning. In the first game, we were controlling those exchanges, but they got confident after a few points,” Satwik said.
The Indians also found it difficult to finish rallies despite creating opportunities. Liang and Wang repeatedly absorbed their attacks before turning defensive positions into attacking ones.
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“Their defence was also very good. In a lot of the points where we thought we would get a finish, we couldn’t. They were not just retrieving but also converting those balls into attack,” Chirag said.
Chinese pair take complete control in second game
Liang and Wang carried that confidence into the second game, taking an early 3-1 lead before Satwik and Chirag responded to level the score at 3-3.
The match then began to move rapidly away from the Indians. The third seeds reeled off five consecutive points to move 8-3 ahead, repeatedly keeping the shuttle flat and denying Satwik and Chirag the opportunity to settle into their attacking game.
The Indians tried to respond with pickup shots, but Liang and Wang continued to control the exchanges at the net and took an 11-5 lead into the mid-game interval.
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Satwik said the approach from the Chinese pair was different from what they had expected after studying their previous matches.
“Maybe we weren’t expecting that because they usually want to block and get the lift. Whenever we watched their match videos, they wanted to block and come forward because they are very good at attacking,” Satwik said.
“But today, they were playing all-around, just pushing again and again. It was difficult to lift from our side because we were on the second side and playing against the drift. It was difficult to control, but that’s how they play.”
Satwik and Chirag picked up back-to-back points immediately after the interval, but any hopes of a comeback were quickly halted as Liang and Wang responded with four straight points to stretch their advantage to 15-7.
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The Indians managed their eighth point before the Chinese added another two. Satwik and Chirag picked up one more point, but Liang and Wang then reeled off four consecutive points to close out the second game 21-9.
Satwik said the Indians did manage to create attacking opportunities in the second game, but the Chinese pair’s defence and control of the front court prevented them from converting those chances.
“In the second game, it’s not that we didn’t get any lifts. We got quite a few, but we weren’t able to finish them as much as we would have wanted to,” he said.
“They were defending really well and also dominating the front court. Even when we were getting those lifts, we tried playing soft drops and then eventually killing the shuttle, but we weren’t able to convert those opportunities well.”
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With Liang and Wang sealing the contest in straight games, Satwik and Chirag’s hopes of adding another World Championships medal came to an end.
“I think we were close to them, but we could have been a little tighter from our side. We’ll go back and learn from what we missed,” Satwik said.
The defeat also confirmed that India will finish the BWF World Championships 2026 with one medal, courtesy of Treesa and Gayatri’s run in the women’s doubles event.
Good Good, a YouTube content outlet, apologized Saturday for a since-deleted video showing a man shoving a woman to the ground as part of an ad for a Callaway Golf golf club.
“We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand,” the Good Good statement said. “We have since taken that content down. And sincerely apologize. Good Good has always stood for making the game of golf more inclusive to all, and we will continue to ensure that is our mission moving forward.”
A few hours later, a Callaway spokesperson shared the following statement with GOLF.com:
“We are disappointed by the content that was posted, and are appreciative of Good Good for addressing this. We look forward to working together to ensure a more inclusive space in golf.”
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The ad promoted a driver developed between Good Good and Callaway Golf. In the 15-second video, Good Good’s Garrett Clark runs toward a woman after she reaches for the club, and he pushes her. The woman then screams before Clark stands over her and says: “Do not touch my new driver.”
The video was heavily criticized on social media, and while it’s not on Good Good and Callaway platforms, it continues to be circulated.
On Saturday afternoon, Callaway’s and Good Good’s websites were selling a pair of drivers developed together, along with golf balls. Promotions of the clubs and balls could also be seen on the their social media accounts.
Good Good has long been a major player in the fast-growing YouTube golf space. The brand has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, and come November the PGA Tour will debut the Good Good Championship, a partnership event that’s a part of the FedExCup Fall season, at Omni Barton Creek in Texas.
Wyndham Clark has a commanding lead at the BMW Championship, but he still has 18 more holes to go to hold everyone off. Here’s what you need to know for Sunday.
Clark holds 54-hole lead at BMW Championship
Clark, the two-time U.S. Open winner, is cruising at the BMW Championship. Clark already led to start the day and then pulled further away from the field, shooting 65 Saturday at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis to get to 17 under and lead Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay (12 under) by five.
Also in the mix are Chris Gotterup and Gary Woodland, both at 11 under, and Collin Morikawa, at 10 under. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the runaway winner of last week’s St. Jude, is among a large group of pros tied for 15th at five under.
There’s also another battle to monitor at the BMW, which is around the top-30 cutoff. The top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings following Sunday’s conclusion of the BMW get a ticket to next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, where the winner gets $10 million.
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You can watch Sunday’s final round from 12-2 p.m. ET on Golf Channel and 2-6 p.m. ET on CBS. Clark and McIlroy tee off in the final pairing at 1:50 p.m. ET on Sunday. You can see complete tee times below.
2026 BMW Championship tee times for Sunday: Round 4 (ET)
9:06 a.m. – Jake Knapp, Nico Echavarria 9:17 a.m. – Ryan Fox, Tommy Fleetwood 9:28 a.m. – Sahith Theegala, Min Woo Lee 9:39 a.m. – Bud Cauley, Hideki Matsuyama 9:50 a.m. – Alex Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose 10:06 a.m. – Rickie Fowler, Si Woo Kim 10:17 a.m. – Tom Kim, J.T. Poston 10:28 a.m. – Nicolai Hojgaard, Ben Griffin 10:39 a.m. – Kurt Kitayama, Kristoffer Reitan 10:50 a.m. – Xander Schauffle, Michael Thorbjornsen 11:06 a.m. – Matt McCarty, Adam Scott 11:17 a.m. – Viktor Hovland, Alex Smalley 11:28 a.m. – Sam Burns, Matt Fitzpatrick 11:39 a.m. – Sepp Straka, Aaron Rai 11:50 a.m. – Akshay Bhatia, Justin Thomas 12:06 p.m. – Ludvig Aberg, Ryan Gerard 12:17 p.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young 12:28 p.m. – Alex Noren, Robert MacIntyre 12:39 p.m. – Russell Henley, Jacob Bridgeman 12:50 p.m. – J.J. Spaun, Michael Brennan 1:06 p.m. – Ryo Hisatsune, Maverick McNealy 1:17 p.m. – Sungjae Im, Eric Cole 1:28 p.m. – Gary Woodland, Collin Morikawa 1:39 p.m. – Patrick Cantlay, Chris Gotterup 1:50 p.m. – Wyndham Clark, Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy pulled himself back into contention at the BMW Championship with a strong finish for a five-under-par third round in St Louis, leaving him five behind leader Wyndham Clark.
McIlroy has been looking for a response after labouring to an eight-over finish at last week’s St Jude Championship, and shot a fine six-under opening round for a share of the lead, before following that up with a 69 on Friday.
The back-to-back Masters champion again appeared in steady form during the front nine on Saturday, turning at one under after a birdie on the par-three second before another on 11.
World number two McIlroy then stepped things up with a run of four birdies from the 13th, sandwiched by a bogey at the 14th.
The Northern Irishman found both bunkers with his opening two shots on the 18th, but then almost chipped in with a fine recovery effort before saving par.
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McIlroy finished the day at 12 under, looking to keep pace with Clark, who dropped his first shots of the tournament with a double bogey on the opening hole before an eagle at the eighth and a strong back nine saw him finish with a 65, having failed to save par on the last.
“I think I needed to be patient the last three days, because my game has been good in parts, but then it has been a struggle in other ways,” McIlroy told reporters.
“I didn’t hit my first fairway today until the 10th hole, playing this golf course from the rough isn’t fun, but I hung in there, my short game saved me a couple of times and I got some momentum coming in.
Wyndham Clark again set the pace at the top of the leaderboard(Jeff Roberson/AP) (AP)
“I am in a good spot going into tomorrow in terms of where I am at on the leaderboard, but it’s going to take a heroic effort from one of us to catch Wyndham.”
Patrick Cantlay is alongside McIlroy at 12 under, with Chris Gotterup a shot further back alongside Gary Woodland, who dropped back after a 70.
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JJ Spaun also saw his challenge fade after a two-over round.
World number one Scottie Scheffler – who had coasted to an impressive victory at last week’s St Jude Championship, but was two over after a first-round 72 – sits in a group on five under after his 68.
Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz will team up in mixed doubles at the US Open, creating one of the most exciting pairings of the tournament.
The two tennis stars will compete together in the US Open mixed doubles championship, bringing together Williams’ legendary experience and Alcaraz’s explosive modern game.
For Williams, the event marks a highly anticipated return to the US Open, while Alcaraz will have the opportunity to share the court with one of the greatest players in tennis history.
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The partnership has already generated huge excitement among tennis fans, with the combination of Williams and Alcaraz expected to be one of the biggest attractions of the mixed doubles competition.
With two generations of tennis greatness joining forces, all eyes will be on the pair when they take the court in New York.
Oct 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) runs the ball during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Lately, Carson Wentz has been earning praise. The wily veteran is second-to-none in his toughness even if he’s not the athlete he once was.
“You never know what tomorrow brings for anybody.” That was a key sentiment coming from the chat with Carson Wentz.
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I wanted to know about what he has observed in J.J. McCarthy getting bumped down to QB2. “I think he’s handled it well,” the veteran began. “It’s a tough business. It’s a tough league, tough business, tough with media, the pressure, all the things that come with it.” Wentz then hastened to add that “the story is far from written for him, for Kyler, for myself.”
“I think he’s gotten better since I got here, I’ve seen it firsthand,” Wentz explained. Partnering improvement with a player’s readiness and the NFL’s unpredictability means that the young lad shouldn’t be discounted.
Oct 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Pivoting off that, I asked Wentz about how he understands his own role on the team.
His answer in full: “Great question. It’s help the team however I can. Stay ready, whatever that looks like. Yeah, at the end of the day it’s why I signed here is to, if my number gets called, I’m confident in what I can do and what I can bring to the table within this system especially. So we’ll see how it all shakes out.”
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In 2025, Carson Wentz went 2-3 as the Vikings’ starter. He completed a very healthy 65.1% of his passes for 1,216 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Part of the reason for not seeing more promising production was due to injury.
Wentz could have signed somewhere else. He liked the chance to do good things with the Vikings. “It’s just somewhere I thought if my number did get called,” Wentz explained, “I’d feel that I have success.” Shortly thereafter, Wentz lamented his injury, calling it a “bummer” while wondering aloud where things would have gone without getting hurt.
As it relates to joint practices, Wentz indicated that mixing things up in practice was refreshing. Essentially every player says as much but that’s likely because it’s true. Going against different players who play within a different scheme is refreshing.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) and wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) head toward the locker room at halftime on Sep 21, 2025 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The veteran quarterback and star receiver remained central figures as Minnesota evaluated its offensive direction during a season filled with transition. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings want to proceed through the 2026 season with Carson Wentz as the QB3. Seeing that become a reality will mean that some key things have happened.
First, Kyler Murray and/or J.J. McCarthy have been healthy enough to shoulder the burden of starting. Neither could be described as being the NFL’s version of Cal Ripken. Fingers crossed that both remain healthy but that’s far from a guarantee.
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Second, Kyler Murray and/or J.J. McCarthy played well enough to remain as the starting QB. Minnesota is desperate for a franchise passer. The current plan is to let Murray prove he’s that guy but McCarthy would be the next man up.
Having Wentz on the roster means boasting a passer with great size and better athleticism than a lot of mid-30s QBs. He has demonstrated a good connection with Justin Jefferson and will inspire belief in his teammates. The Vikings could win with him.
Aug 15, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) and quarterback Carson Wentz (11) warms up before the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In the 2016 NFL Draft, Carson Wentz was chosen at No. 2 by the Philadelphia Eagles. He has since played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings.
The Cleveland Browns got a poor performance out of Deshaun Watson on Saturday, and a former player is blunt about what it should mean.
Against the Buffalo Bills, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback had a putrid performance in relief of Shedeur Sanders in the second half, covering only 36 yards on 5-of-12 passing and being intercepted once by Te’Cory Couch en route to a 7-31 loss:
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In the aftermath of that game, Robert Griffin III, who played with the Browns in 2016, gave this blunt takeaway for head coach Todd Monken:
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“The Browns should start Shedeur Sanders.”
The Browns should start Shedeur Sanders.
He then added shortly after:
“The Browns absolutely screwed their QB competition up.”
The Browns absolutely screwed their QB competition up.
Sharing his sentiment was Ben Axelrod, writer for Front Office Sports:
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I mean, the Browns simply cannot name Deshaun Watson the starting quarterback after this.
Watson was also the subject of heavy boos during the game, but he insinuated that they were not related to his play during the post-game press conference:
“I didn’t have no reaction. I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance. It’s a little bit [more] personal than that. I think that’s a disrespectful thing. I’m gonna keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally with how I feel about that and move on.”
Shedeur Sanders rues Browns fans booing Deshaun Watson during rout vs. Bills
Speaking of the boos Deshaun Watson received from Browns fans, he received a defense from a surprising source.
Shedeur Sanders, who started the game against the Bills, finished with nine completions for 74 yards and a touchdown to Luke Floriea against an interception to Damar Hamlin. After the game, he expressed disappointment in how the fans reacted to the game from the stands:
“Regardless of competition, we’re all human beings. I think we all need to understand that. In this room too, we’re all humans. I don’t do things to humans that I wouldn’t want done to me. I don’t like making people feel uncomfortable in different spaces, and that’s why, even in daily things I do, I try to make sure everybody’s comfortable.”
He continued:
“However you feel about the situation with Deshaun and everything, I think it’s more about a bigger purpose and it’s respect. It’s a respect thing that I feel should be there, because we’re all out there trying to do our best and serve the franchise the best way possible. We’re going out there to win games, doing everything we can.”
The Browns end their preseason this coming Thursday against the New England Patriots. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET.
When Cheteshwar Pujara watches India and Sri Lanka walk out at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Sunday, one of his first memories of the venue is likely to be his unbeaten 145 in 2015.Pujara carried his bat through India’s first innings on a surprisingly seaming track, helping them beat Sri Lanka by 117 runs and win the series 2-1.“I’ve got fond memories of playing at SSC but in 2015, it was a different situation. We were playing on a surprisingly seaming track in Sri Lanka, which you hardly get to see there,” Pujara said in an interaction.As a former India No. 3, Pujara was impressed by Devdutt Padikkal’s performance in the first Test. But he believes Padikkal needs to sustain that form before being considered a long-term solution at No. 3.“Devdutt was ready for this opportunity, looking at the way he has been performing in domestic cricket and the IPL. We’ve seen that he has worked on his game and improved his technique,” Pujara said.“I would agree that India should go ahead with Padikkal at No. 3 for some time. But you can’t leave someone like Sai Sudharsan out of India’s Test squad. I’m not saying he should bat at No. 3, but he should be there in the scheme of things.“If Padikkal performs consistently at No. 3 in New Zealand and against Australia at home, then he will cement his spot. Let’s not put too much pressure on him,” he said.
It’s a weird state of the sport when the following sentence is true: One of the most important commitments of the college basketball offseason has transpired in late August.
On Saturday night, Mark Mitchell, who previously played at Duke and Missouri, committed to play for Kentucky this season. In industry circles, Mitchell had been widely rumored as Lexington-bound in the past week and a half. On Friday morning, he received a temporary restraining order — via a Jefferson Circuit Court ruling in Kentucky — to pursue a fifth season of college basketball. He officially entered his name into the transfer portal (with a do-not-contact tag) hours later.
And a little more than 24 hours after that, Mitchell made his intentions public. The pick confirmed the whispers that had grown to a rumble in the day leading up to the decision. In picking Kentucky, Mitchell provides a proven producer in the frontcourt at the power forward position and gives Mark Pope one more piece (if Mitchell’s legal pursuit keeps him eligible all of this upcoming season) that validates some Final Four dreams for Big Blue Nation in 2026-27.
Dramatic offseason perhaps ending on a high note
It seems so far away now, but there was a point a few weeks removed from Kentucky’s season when Pope was feeling severe heat for missing out on a variety of high-profile prospects, including the No. 1 high school player in 2026, Tyran Stokes.
That’s now all in the past, as it could easily be argued that Pope wound up landing two of the four or five most important transfers of 2026. The first was Milan Momcilovic, who picked Kentucky over Louisville in what was one of the more expensive bidding endeavors of the spring. Momcilovic is a stretchy 3-man who hopes to again be one of the best long distance shooters in the country.
So long as Mitchell’s eligibility case doesn’t hit a road block, Momcilovic will have a good contrast with Mitchell in the frontcourt. The 6-9, 230-pound big averaged 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in the SEC last season and was one of the 10 best players in the conference across the past two seasons. Those two will start alongside center/sophomore Malachi Moreno, who bypassed being a potential top-40 pick in order to improve with a healthy payday in Year 2 under Pope.
The in-state rivals, coincidentally enough, are regarded by many coaches across college hoops as the two biggest spenders of this 2026 offseason. Kentucky’s other portal commits include former Furman point guard Alex Wilkins, former Washington point guard Zoom Diallo and his teammate who also played at UW last season, Frank Kepnang, a center.
No fan base has endured more highs and lows in the past five months than Kentucky’s.
Kentucky the latest to benefit from the legal route
Mitchell is the latest proven college player to double back to school after having a cup of coffee in Summer League — a trend that CBS Sports first reported in more than a month ago. Mitchell played with the Denver Nuggets, but with no certainty of making an NBA roster this fall, he and his representation took to the courts to sue for a fifth year. Former Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler also took this route, committing to BYU after getting some runs in with the Utah Jazz for about a month.
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These two will not be the last, either.
The NCAA is enduring a nationwide legal battle at the moment, as the organization voted in late June to allow all Division I athletes moving forward eligibility for five seasons in a five-year span. But players whose eligibility expired this past spring did not apply to that rule change.
So now there are more than a hundred former Division I men’s basketball players (and others) trying to sue for what they believe is an unjust rule change right at the start of the summer. The NCAA has had two minor but critical wins so far: injunctions in Colorado (which was federal in scope) and Ohio (which was under a different framing) have been stayed, which is to say the courts ruling in favor of the players’ eligibility has been paused.
Mitchell’s case was in Kentucky and seen as favorable. The NCAA will still try to get the case overturned there as well, but predicting which lawsuits in which states will go which way is impossible at this stage. For now, Mitchell is like so many others across the country: hoping that a local judge will give him more leniency than the NCAA in order to keep playing college sports, make significant money in the process — and potentially change the competitive dynamic of college basketball in the process.
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You won’t find many Kentucky fans objecting to the process now that they’ve got what’s clearly one of the 15 best rosters heading into November … so long as Mitchell remains eligible.
MASON, OHIO—Frances Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima won quarterfinal matches Friday night to set up one all-American men’s semifinal at the Cincinnati Open. Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula also advanced to make it four US players in the semis.
“It’s insane, I think we’re all doing so well,” Gauff said. “Hopefully, you know, we can have a double title win. Obviously there are more matches to be played for that to happen. We definitely root for each other.”
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Tiafoe beat Italian Lorenzo Musetti, 7-6 (2), 7-5, and Nakashima beat fellow American Taylor Fritz, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, marking the first time two Americans have reached the men’s semifinals in Cincinnati since Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish in 2010.
Nakashima is the first American man to reach the semifinals in Canada and Cincinnati in the same season since Fish in 2011. Nakashima is coached by Tiafoe’s former coach, Wayne Ferreira.
“It’s a guy who knows me pretty well in Wayne,” Tiafoe said. “I expect some good serving and all the best from him. Happy where I’ve been mentally more than anything. This has been a great week.”
Tiafoe reached the Cincinnati finals in 2024, losing to Jannik Sinner.
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The other men’s semifinal Saturday features Italy’s Flavio Cobolli against Frenchman Arthur Fils.
Gauff beat Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, 6-2, 6-2. Gauff will face surprise entrant 20-year-old Czech Sara Bejlek at 7:30 a.m. Sunday in Manila.
Bejlek outlasted 2019 champion Madison Keys, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), on Friday. She upset No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets in the Round of 16.
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“Sara is a great player,” Gauff said. “I watched her a lot in Abu Dhabi [in February] this year when she won that title. So I think it’s going to be a tough match. I’m looking forward to it.” —AP
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You probably know the drill when it comes to the FedEx Cup Playoffs by now, but let’s offer a refresher anyway. The top 70 made the playoffs and played the FedEx St. Jude Championship last week, 50 advanced to this week’s BMW Championship, and just 30 make it to the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta next week.
There was little movement around the top-50 cutoff last Sunday, as Sungjae Im was the only player to move inside the top 50 to get into the BMW. He tied for 5th to leap from 53rd to 40th, and Keith Mitchell, who tied for 34th at the St. Jude, fell from 49th to 51st.
Those who made it into the BMW Championship already got a nice perk for next year with a spot in every big-money Signature Event. But advancing to the Tour Championship has perks of its own: Those who snag a ticket to East Lake receive a two-year exemption on Tour and get a spot in next year’s Masters.
Oh, and another chance at lots of money.
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The PGA Tour pays out nearly $100 million in FedEx Cup bonuses at the conclusion of the BMW Championship, although Scottie Scheffler has already locked up the $23 million first-place check. But there’s still plenty of money to go around. The Tour pays out the top 125 in the standings, which then clears the slate for the Tour Championship and another $40 million purse to dish out, including $10 million for the winner.
So, yes, a lot is on the line come Sunday at the BMW Championship, and for some more than others. According to DataGolf, every player who entered the week 24th or better has a 100 percent chance of making the Tour Championship, which means there’s little wiggle room for players ranked 25-30 as well as the ones just outside the top 30.
At the BMW, Wyndham Clark is 17 under and has a commanding lead over Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay, who are tied for second at 12 under. But there’s still plenty to sort out, including which players sneak inside the top 30. Here are six bubble players to watch on Sunday.
6 Tour Championship bubble players to watch
Gary Woodland — Woodland entered the week 31st, but after three strong days in St. Louis — 11 under, tied for 4th — he’s now projected for 19th. Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, underwent brain surgery in 2023 and has been open about his battle with PTSD since. He’s now in good position to earn a spot in the Tour Championship for the first time since 2019.
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Rickie Fowler — Fowler finished T6 and T7 in the first two playoff events last year yet still, at 32nd in the standings, missed out on the Tour Championship. He now has another chance to get back to East Lake for the first time in three years, which would also get him into next year’s Masters for just the second time in the past seven years. He entered the BMW 30th in the standings, clinging to the final spot, but he’s tied for 35th after 54 holes and is now projected to finish 32nd. He’s got work to do on Sunday.
Justin Thomas — JT has missed just one Tour Championship in the past 10 years (2023) but might be in trouble now. He’s tied for 15th after 54 holes and needs to finish solo seventh or better to qualify for the Tour Championship. He’s got a chance, and we know he can go as low as anyone.
Patrick Cantlay — Cantlay has made the biggest jump this week, as he entered the tournament 43rd in the standings but now, after rounds of 67-65-66, is tied for second with McIlroy and projected for 22nd in the FedEx Cup. He needs to finish solo seventh or better, and he’s put himself in a great spot so far. Cantlay’s missed just one Tour Championship in the past nine years, and it was back in 2020 (and he followed it up by winning it the next year). He’s always played well at East Lake and tied for second last year.
Sungjae Im — He continues to climb. Im advanced to the Tour Championship in each of his first seven years on the PGA Tour, and now thanks to another nice run of golf (he’s seventh at the BMW), he might make it eight. He started the week 40th in the standings, is now projected for 30th and needs one more strong Sunday to stay there.
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Adam Scott — Last month, Adam Scott played in his 101st consecutive major. While he doesn’t have a similar epic streak of playing in the Tour Championship, getting there next week would be his 14th appearance, another feather in his cap. He missed the Tour Championship last year after tying for 4th in 2024. Tied for 28th in St. Louis, he entered the week 27th in the standings and is projected for the 29th spot right now.
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