Jordan Spieth Misses BMW Championship by One Shot

Jordan Spieth missed out on advancing in the PGA Tour postseason by one shot after an even-par 70 in the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. Spieth needed to move into the top 50 of the FedEx Cup standings to reach next week’s BMW Championship, but his closing three pars left him outside the cutoff.

Spieth entered the first playoff event at No. 54 and believed he needed a final-round 67 to give himself a chance. A 69 ultimately would have been enough, but he could not find the birdie he needed over his final three holes. His tie for 19th was the same finishing position as Maverick McNealy, who secured his place in the top 50.

Spieth unable to convert late opportunities

The final round offered Spieth a route through the closing stretch, but small mistakes proved costly. He came through the difficult sequence from holes 11 through 14 at TPC Southwind with two bogeys and a 30-foot birdie putt, leaving opportunities ahead on the course.

Instead, Spieth found water after pulling his tee shot left on the 15th, resulting in a bogey. On the par-5 16th, his chip from behind the green rolled off the putting surface and he missed a 15-foot birdie attempt. He then missed another birdie chance from roughly the same distance on the 17th.

Needing birdie at the 18th, Spieth played from a patch of dirt to the right of the fairway and left himself a 35-foot putt from just over the green. The attempt finished short, leaving him with par and a 70.

“I just feel like I’m kind of getting back to playing really good golf, like it’s close to kicking off, and I’m not going to play a tournament for a long time,” Spieth said after his round.

He said the final day required near-perfect execution. “I just didn’t execute enough shots and … a couple bounces could have gone one way or the other,” Spieth said. “I needed to be almost flawless today.”

Mitchell, McNealy and McCarty settle the top-50 cutoff

Keith Mitchell also narrowly missed the top 50 after beginning the week at No. 49. He was on the projected bubble heading to the final hole and did not check a leaderboard until he walked off the 17th green.

Mitchell took on an approach near the water on the 18th, believing he needed to make progress rather than play safely to the right. His shot barely cleared the water before hopping below the hazard line on the grass bank. He removed his shoes, rolled up his pants and played from water up to his calves, but the ball bounced short and rolled back into the water. He made bogey for a 72.

Even a par would have left Mitchell less than one point behind Matt McCarty, who held the final qualifying position at No. 50. McCarty had tied for 63rd in the 69-man field and believed he was out before Spieth and Mitchell were unable to catch him.

Sungjae Im, who started the week at No. 53 and began the final round tied for second, advanced comfortably. Mitchell was the only player who started in the top 50 to fall out.

McNealy arrived at No. 50 and remained around the bubble throughout the day. His bogey-free back nine, featuring two birdies, produced a 69 and a tie for 19th, enough to secure his BMW Championship place. The top 50 now move on with access to the next postseason event and guaranteed places in the PGA Tour’s $20 million signature events in 2027.