Remember, remember FedEx Cup points still count in November

How many times do you think you’ll hear that V for Vendetta line today?

Don’t need good, just good enough

Just south of the all-inclusive resorts of Cancún, the PGA Tour treated players to a birdie-fest in the opening round of the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. More than 20 players shot 66 or better.

Leading the way is 22-year-old Matthew Wolff, who fired a 61 on Thursday. We’re happy for the guy—he has had a very up-and-down year—but right now we’re going to use him as an example of an issue with the FedEx Cup system. His current status shows how few solid weeks a PGA Tour player needs to keep his card.

Wolff started the 2021-22 season with a T-17 at the Sanderson and a runner-up at the Shriners. A 12th-place finish this week would bring his total to 408 FedEx Cup points, more than Chesson Hadley had when he finished No. 125 last season. Theoretically, then, Wolff could miss every cut between now and August, and he’d still be likely to make the top-125 cutoff. Clearly we expect Wolff to do much better than that, but here’s the point: if three good weeks is all it takes to keep your card, and only 25-50 Korn Ferry Tour guys are promoted each year, it’s not hard to see why there’s so little turnover on the PGA Tour.

Dubai to Augusta

This week’s PGA Tour winner won’t be the only one earning a Masters invite on Sunday. The 12th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amatuer is underway, and it’s a little crowded at the top. Twenty players, including top-ranked amateur Keita Nakajima and Oklahoma State’s Bo Jin and Leo Oyo, are within four shots with two rounds to go.

Not only is Keita Nakajima No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, he’s also No. 209 in the Official World Golf Ranking, ahead of PGA Tour players Doc Redman (No. 212), Pat Perez (No. 226), Wyndham Clark (No. 227), and Peter Malnati (No. 241). Yes, OWGR overweights international events, but there’s no doubt Nakajima is a stud. At 21 years old, the Japanese player has a win and three other top 10s in pro events on the Japan Tour. It would be pretty cool to see him head at Augusta National next year alongside defending champion Hideki Matsuyama.

Boards

Final Stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School is off and running. The top finisher and ties earn full status, the top 10 get at least the first 12 starts, and the top 40 get at least the first eight.

Lydia Ko and Carlota Ciganda lead the Aramco Saudi Ladies International through one round.

Lots of up-and-coming talent doing well at the Portugal Masters: Adri Arnaus (2nd), Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard (T-4), Min Woo Lee (T-10), Sam Horsfield (T-10), Kalle Samooja (T-10), and Mikko Korhonen (T-10).

U.S. Amateur champion James Piot, Stanford’s Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck, and UCF’s Johnny Travale headline the Spirit International Golf Championship.

Quick Hooks

No Laying Up’s latest episode of Tourist Sauce features The Fried Egg’s own Andy Johnson!

It’s official: the 2030 Presidents Cup is headed to Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis. Our full thoughts on the matter can be found in Monday’s newsletter

Despite lending four of its players to the Spirit, the Stanford women’s golf team won this week to sweep its fall slate. Both Stanford and Oklahoma State were a perfect four-for-four during this semester.

Chris Kirk made a hole-in-one on his first swing on No. 10 at Mayakoba. He’s the first player to start a PGA Tour event with an ace since Keith Mitchell did so on the same hole in 2017.

The Latest from The Fried Egg

The Fried Egg Podcast: Superintendent Series with Ryan Tuxhorn – Somerset Hills superintendent Ryan Tuxhorn joins the podcast this week to discuss his time at Merion, his work at Somerset Hills, and his side hustle in maple syrup. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

The Shotgun Start – Andy and Brendan have climbed out of the Mayakoba cave to record a mostly non-golf-related Q&A pod. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Pro Shop

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