[PHOTO: Tracy Wilcox]
The new pressure point on the PGA Tour starts at 50. It is the new 125. It’s the thing to play for because it enables a tour player to play in more things worth playing for.
The stakes at this week’s FedEx St Jude Championship have changed this year. Only the top 70 on the FedEx Cup points list qualified for the first of three playoff events, and only the top 50 advance to next week’s BMW Championship. And finishing in the top 50 opens up a different world, one that guarantees access to bigger purses, smaller fields, and more points in the FedEx Cup and world rankings.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say that 50 is really a very big deal now,” said Sam Ryder, who enters this week at TPC Southwind in 63rd place in the standings. “We were talking about this – yeah, we made the playoffs, but the top 50 sets up everything in a way the top 125…