Séamus Power makes FedExCup Playoffs as Shane Lowry secures $2million bonus
Shane Lowry will pick up a $2million bonus, and Séamus Power the right to continue his FedExCup chase in Memphis this week when the Wyndham Championship officially concludes today.
England’s Aaron Rai claimed the title and his maiden PGA Tour win in the final event of the regular season in Greensboro last night.
However, with halfway leader Matt Kuchar opting not to finish the final hole in near darkness, the standings won’t be official until he returns today to complete the 18th.
But despite missing the cut, Lowry will win $2million for finishing tenth in the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 – his share of a $40 bonus pool paid out to the top 10 in the FedExCup standings at the end of the regular season, headed by world number one Scottie Scheffler.
Power is projected to move up from 69th to 66th in the FedExCup, making the top 70 who will contest the first playoff event, the $20 million FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis this week.
The West Waterford man was projected at 70th after making the four-under cut on the mark in the weather-delayed event in North Carolina.
But he moved smoothly up the leaderboard on a marathon 36-hole day at Sedgefield Country Club on Sunday.
After carding a one-under 69 in round three, he followed an opening bogey with five birdies in a final round 66 to finish tied 28th in the clubhouse on nine-under.
It means he’s safely into the Playoffs and will join Lowry and third-ranked Rory McIlroy at TPC Southwind in Tennessee this week.
His goal now is to make the top 50 in the FedExCup and qualify for the BMW Championship at Castle Pines in Castle Rock, Colorado, next week.
If he does so, he will be exempt into all the signature events next year, which will be a significant boost to his hopes of qualifying for the Ryder Cup in New York next year.
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Under the new qualifying criteria unveiled recently by Ryder Cup Europe, signature events will be second in importance only to the majors in the points race to make the top six who will qualify automatically for Luke Donald’s team for Bethpage Black.
Making that team will be a goal now for Rai, a former Irish Open runner-up, after he became the seventh European to win on the PGA Tour this season.
A final-round 64 gave the Wolverhampton man his maiden US win by two strokes from American Max Greyserman on 18-under-par.
“I haven’t really had much chance to think about that,” Rai said of how it felt to finally win on the PGA Tour. “I think just that statement alone of being a PGA TOUR winner is truly a dream come true. To win on any professional golf tour is an incredible accomplishment.
“The PGA Tour is the pinnacle of golf and it’s amazing to be competing here week in, week out, but to have won a tournament is extremely special and something I’ll always remember.”
As for Kuchar, who needed to win to make the Playoffs for the 17th year in a row, he is tied 12th, six behind Rai.
While playing partners Greyserman and Chad Ramey opted to finish after the hooter sounded suspending play, Kuchar marked his ball in the trees, 212 yards from the green, and will have an official as a marker when he returns to finish his round today.