Every Wednesday, SI Golf will rank nine newsmakers from the golf world. Sometimes we’ll cast a wide net. Tell us what you think on the SI Golf X account.
1. Justin Rose: The ageless wonder. The 45-year-old Englishman carded four straight birdies in his final five holes at the FedEx St. Jude Championship to get into a playoff against J.J. Spaun. Then, on the third bonus hole, he won, becoming the Tour’s oldest champion this season. Perhaps it’s consolation for losing the Masters in a playoff this year. And now, the former world No. 1 is headed to the Tour Championship for the first time since 2019.
2. Tommy Fleetwood: The saga continues. The PGA Tour’s all-time leader in top 10s without a victory had another close call in Memphis, fumbling a late two-stroke lead by playing his final three holes at 1 over. Of course, the 34-year-old handled his latest heartbreak with grace. It’s hard not to root for him to finally get over the hump.
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3. J.J. Spaun: Validation. That’s what the reigning U.S. Open champion can call his defeat at the FedEx St. Jude. Along with his playoff loss to Rory McIlroy at March’s Players Championship, Spaun is proving he’s not a one-hit wonder but rather one of the world’s top talents. And despite falling short in Memphis, he had two late birdies to force a playoff, and holed a U.S. Open-esque birdie putt to extend the free golf another hole. For someone who was in danger of losing his Tour card last season, the 34-year-old has shown he has that dawg in him.
4. Rickie Fowler: The 36-year-old was one of five players who played their way into the top 50 of the FedEx Cup standings in Memphis and earned a spot in the BMW Championship, therefore, extending his season and earning a spot in every 2026 signature event. And his clutch par save to end Round 3 isn’t being talked enough. His season might have ended without it.
5. Megha Ganne: The rising senior at Stanford won the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes, defeating Brooke Biermann in the final and rallying from four down with 11 holes left in the semifinal. She’ll likely turn pro a year from now, and the golf world should be excited for what she has in store.
6. Scottie Scheffler: Oh yeah, remember him? The world No. 1 nearly won the FedEx St. Jude, but faltered late with a balky putter in the final round. Yet, the T3 result is his 12th straight top-eight finish. The last person to accomplish that feat was Tom Weiskopf, 52 years ago. And Scheffler was without his caddie, Ted Scott, on Sunday in Memphis due to a personal reason.
7. Sepp Straka: Ranked fifth in the FedExCup standings, the Austrian, who has won twice this season, withdrew from the BMW Championship because of a private family matter. He intends to compete in next week’s Tour Championship.
8. Jordan Spieth: Fowler was the biggest name who jumped in the top 50, and Spieth was the most notable to fall out. With a T38 at TPC Southwind, he dropped to 54th in the standings, thus ending his season. It was a turbulent year for the three-time major champion. He was finding his form for the first few events after wrist surgery last summer, and he showed signs of life with four top 10s this season. Ultimately, though, he didn’t show enough flashes of his old self.
9. Hudson Swafford: The former PGA Tour winner who joined LIV and has since been relegated from the rival circuit has made the rounds since the release of last week’s power nine, as he told Golf.com’s Subpar podcast that he is banned from the PGA Tour until 2027. If true, it’s pretty eye-opening.. Many are anticipating the possible return of players such as Brooks Koepka, who has been rumored to show interest in leaving LIV after his contract expires this season. But it could be a while until that comes to fruition—if it even does.
Also considered: Dean Burmester, Ted Scott, Christo Lamprecht, Kurt Kitayama, Bud Cauley, Jhonattan Vegas, J.T. Poston, Aldrich Potgieter, Jake Knapp, Wyndham Clark Min Woo Lee
Dropped out from last week: Cameron Young, Miyu Yamashita, Rory McIlroy, Chris Kirk, Charley Hull, Nelly Korda, Mimi Rhodes, Adam Scott, Jackson Koivun
