Who's up, who's down in FedEx Cup Playoffs after 36 holes at 2025 BMW Championship

USA Today

3 days ago

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Half the fun is over at the 2025 BMW Championship and half the fun is still to come. No one is having a better time at Caves Valley Golf Club than Robert MacIntyre, who is setting the pace with a 36-hole total of 14-under 126.
In the tournament within the tournament, several players are feeling a different sort of pressure as they battle to make the top 30 in the season-long points race and advance to the Tour Championship next week in Atlanta, the finale of the FedEx Cup. So far, two players are projected to move in the top 30 and thus two are expected to be bounced out.
Let's take a closer look at who's is moving up and who is moving down at the midway point of the BMW Championship.
Who's inside FedEx Cup Playoffs top 30 after 36 holes at the BMW
Kim followed up Thursday's 68 with a 66 on Friday and improved to 6-under 134. That's good for a share of fifth place with Tommy Fleetwood and Maverick McNealy.
Kim's swing coach, Sean Foley, who he described as his life coach too, gave him this tagline to live by this week: grateful but not satisfied. 'That's kind of the approach I'm taking this week,' Kim said on Thursday.
He is projected to move from No. 42 to No. 26, which would be good enough for his first trip to East Lake.
'Tour Championship I feel like is the No. 1 goal on everyone's mind at the start of the year, along with top 50 here. To be completely honest, I was probably – if you had told me I'd be top 50, I would have just signed right there and just watched everyone else play,' Kim said. 'But once I had a really good stretch in that beginning to the middle part of the season, I really wanted to make the push for the Tour Championship, which I've never been to.'
The Englishman has been playing some of the best golf on the planet the last few months and continued his fine form with a 3-under 67 at Caves Valley, marking the 42nd time in his last 46 rounds that he's been at par or better. This season he ranks first in total birdies and birdies average and is No. 1 in Strokes Gained: putting on Tour. According to Data Golf, he's the fifth-best European player during the last three months.
He entered the week at No. 45 and is projected to be the Bubble Boy at No. 30. Asked about how much he's been thinking about the Tour Championship, Hall said, 'Not that big of a goal, if I'm honest. It was more so just getting a little bit better at everything and getting better tee to green. I knew that was where I could make the most improvement, and I knew if I did that, then I could gain a shot a round, or close to, and I think I'm doing that this year.'
Who's outside FedEx Cup Playoffs top 30 after 36 holes at the BMW
One week after opening with 62 in Memphis, Bhatia stumbled to a 5-over 75 in Owings Mills. He made just one birdie. He could ill afford a bad start, which had him projected to drop from No. 29 to No. 35. Friday, he sprinkled in five birdies against four bogeys to shoot 1-under 69 and improve to T-37. He ranked fifth in SG: Approach the Green after being 46th the day before. He's still on the wrong side of the top 30 – projected at No. 32.
Glover tripled the second hole on Thursday and made five bogeys in a six-hole stretch starting at No. 11 and signed for 75. He wasn't much better on Friday, opening with three straight bogeys and shooting 73. He started the week as the Bubble Boy at No. 30 and is projected to fall to No. 38.
Glover's putter let him down. He ranks 46 out of 49 in the field in SG: Putting and 45th in SG: Around the Green through two rounds.
Who's on the bubble for FedEx Cup Playoffs top 30 after 36 holes at the BMW
26. Michael Kim
27. Jacob Bridgeman
28. Sungjae Im
29. Chris Gotterup
30. Harry Hall
31. Taylor Pendrith
32. Akshay Bhatia
33. Daniel Berger
34. Denny McCarthy
35. Jason Day
36. Rickie Fowler