After a season-long battle for survival on the U.S. PGA Tour, the "final 30" have been decided, and Korean players Kim Si-woo, 31, and Kim Joo-hyung, 24, both earned their places in that elite field. It is the first time in three years that two or more Korean players have reached the Tour Championship, the final leg of the PGA Tour playoffs, since three players — Im Sung-jae, Kim Si-woo and Kim Joo-hyung — competed in 2023.
Kim Si-woo shot a 1-under 69 in the fourth round of the BMW Championship (total prize money of $20 million), the second leg of the playoffs, held at Bellerive Country Club (par 70) in St. Louis, Missouri, on the 23rd local time, with three birdies and two bogeys. Finishing at 2-under 278 for a tie for 33rd, Kim Si-woo rose to 5th in the FedEx Cup standings and clinched a ticket to the Tour Championship.
Kim Joo-hyung's rebound was equally striking. Cutting two strokes with three birdies and one bogey in the fourth round, he finished tied for 28th at 3-under and secured a place in the finale as the 29th-ranked player in the FedEx Cup standings. In 2024, he ranked 51st in the FedEx Cup and failed to advance to the second leg, and last year he finished 94th and could not even make the first leg. But he signaled his revival with a win at the Genesis Scottish Open this July, and carried that momentum to join the elite field of just the top 30 for the first time in three years.
Kim Joo-hyung and Kim Si-woo took home $153,000 and $124,500, respectively, from this tournament. They also collected substantial FedEx Cup bonuses, as this tournament finalized the distribution of the total $100 million (about 138 billion won) bonus pool. In the bonus, split between a cash lump sum and deferred payments in the form of a pension, Kim Si-woo, ranked 5th in the FedEx Cup, receives a total of $5.4 million (about 7.45 billion won, including a $4.4 million lump sum), while Kim Joo-hyung, ranked 29th, receives a total of $470,000 (about 650 million won, including a $220,000 lump sum).
The BMW Championship trophy went to Wyndham Clark of the United States. Clark, who had made no birdies but three bogeys through the 10th hole (par 4), rattled off birdies on the final three holes to card an even-par 70. Finishing at 17-under 263, Clark beat Patrick Cantlay (14-under) by three strokes for his third win of the season and sixth of his career. Along with the $3.6 million (about 5 billion won) winner's check, he lifted his FedEx Cup ranking from 5th to 3rd and added an $8 million bonus, hitting a jackpot of a staggering $11.6 million (15.98 billion won) at this tournament alone.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States finished tied for 12th at 7-under, but held onto the top spot in the FedEx Cup standings on the strength of a commanding points lead built earlier, collecting the largest bonus of $23 million (about 31.8 billion won). Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who finished third at 13-under, advanced to the Tour Championship as the 11th-ranked player in the FedEx Cup.
The scramble for the final standings spots was also fierce. Gary Woodland of the United States (tied for 4th), Cantlay and Robert MacIntyre of Scotland (tied for 7th) surged to 18th, 19th and 25th in the FedEx Cup, respectively, on strong performances here, dramatically making the finale. By contrast, Kurt Kitayama (31st), Rickie Fowler (33rd) and Byrd Cully of the United States (34th) slipped from 28th, 30th and 29th and missed out.
Meanwhile, the Tour Championship, the finale carrying a $10 million winner's prize (total purse of $40 million), begins on the 27th at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
