The top players in the game have largely sat out the second edition of the FedEx Cup Fall leaving those vying for playing privileges and status in 2025 signature events to duke out. While Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and others have been left outside the ropes, those inside have created burning questions through their play that will affect many of the game’s brightest stars next season.
Every PGA Tour season comes with it surprises, even more so when it coincides with a Ryder Cup year. While the U.S. team proved victorious at Royal Montreal in the Presidents Cup, the Americans will have their hands full when the Europeans visit Bethpage Black next fall.
History shows composing a team is not as simple as taking last year’s squad and repeating the process. Players will lose form, first-time major winners could upset the rankings and injuries may occur. This gives way to open roster spots where players like Justin Thomas or an unassuming J.T. Poston could be slotted in.
Rickie Fowler’s form could make him a Ryder Cup consideration for the second straight time out should his most recent resurgence continue through the season. This is coming at a time when emerging U.S. stalwart Max Homa is heading in the other direction and may be losing some of his status.
Here are five burning questions (and some answers) to emerge from the first five events of the FedEx Cup Fall.
1. More than one J.T. on the Ryder Cup team?
Each Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team has its surprises, and the 2025 U.S. squad will not be any different. Four roster spots turned over in just one year, and with both Homa and Brian Harman looking like question marks in Canada — plus the inclusion of LIV Golf members — the case could be made that the team in New York will feature six different players.
The list of replacements is lengthy with names like Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka circled but also those of Thomas and Poston on it. Thomas is regaining his edge and likely to don the red, white and blue following a rare omission in Montreal at the Presidents Cup, and Poston could serve as the unlikely outsider to garner consideration.
Already in the signature events, the three-time PGA Tour winner will have access to the large pot of FedEx Cup points that directly translates to the Ryder Cup rankings. In 2024, Poston finished T5 at the Sentry, T20 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and T10 at the Genesis Invitational. If he gets off to a similar start in 2025, Poston and his putter will creep into the minds of the U.S. leadership.
Verdict: At least one will make it
2. Is Rickie Fowler’s resurgence for real?
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. For the second time in three seasons, Fowler has utilized the fall season to climb out of a pit of poor play and perform as the competitor most have been used to seeing throughout his PGA Tour career.
Following the worst season his career, the five-time PGA Tour winner has rattled off three straight top-25 finishes with the latest coming in the form of a solo fourth-place finish at the Zozo Championship. There has been a lot of good during this run as Fowler’s iron play has improved week over week, and his new LAB putter is paying early dividends.
Despite this smooth sailing, the 35-year-old’s 2025 may lead him to choppy waters. He will need to rely on sponsor’s exemptions to get into signature events and find a way to climb within the Official World Golf Rankings for major invitations. All of this is neither dependent on his approach play nor putting but rather his driving, which remains improved but suspect.
Verdict: Too soon to call
3. What should we make of Max Homa?
Homa has made a career of stringing together one leap after another. He has gone from PGA Tour winner to top-10 player in the world to major championship contender, but all that was put to a screeching halt this past summer when his game completely abandoned him.
Some decent play at the Presidents Cup provided hope, but a rusty outing at the Zozo Championship squashed any thought of him being all the way back. Despite a horrid year driving the golf ball, Homa made strides in other aspects of his game and turned those weaknesses (i.e., his short game) into strengths. He’s too hard of a worker and too talented of a player for his ball-striking to continue to hold him back, and it won’t in 2025.
Verdict: He’ll be OK.
4. Which first-time 2024 winner will make a leap?
Two first-timers have emerged from the FedEx Cup Fall as Kevin Yu claimed the Sanderson Farms Championship in a playoff and recent Korn Ferry Tour graduate Matt McCarty continued his winning ways at the Black Desert Championship. These two joined a group in 2024 that already included the likes of Austin Eckroat, Stephan Jaeger, Taylor Pendrith and Aaron Rai from the regular season.
While Rai could contend for a spot on the European Ryder Cup team, it is Davis Thompson who has the chops to make the biggest leap in 2025. The 25-year-old ran away from the field at the John Deere Classic and has experienced a number of other close calls. He’s the most well-rounded of the bunch and has already been a factor in a couple big-time tournaments, including the U.S. Open. That experience should pave the way for a successful future.
Verdict: Davis Thompson
5. What does the PGA Tour’s future look like in Asia?
The Zozo Championship remains an outlier in the FedEx Cup Fall as it boasts a stronger (albeit limited) field that has previously included Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama and Collin Morikawa. It also stands out based on simple geography.
Gone are the days of a month-long tour of Asia as the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges (South Korea) has become the CJ Cup Byron Nelson (Dallas) during the regular season and the WGC-HSBC Champions (China) no longer exists. That has left left the Zozo Championship in Japan all by itself.
The appetite for golf in Asia is real, and the PGA Tour should pursue a schedule where a portion — if not majority — of the fall slate is played internationally. Whether it actually chooses to make such a move is a completely different story as the introduction of the Strategic Sports Groups and waning sponsorships elsewhere may force its hand.
Verdict: Doesn’t look good
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