Georgia Tech #ProJackets Golf Report

THE FLATS – Matt Kuchar, Chesson Hadley and Cameron Tringale headed to the FedEx Cup playoffs … Vincent Whaley in position to earn a PGA Tour card with a good performance in the final regular-season Korn Ferry Tour event this week … more in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.

Three former Yellow Jackets are headed to Jersey City, N.J., this weekend for The Northern Trust, the first stage of the 2019 FedEx Cup playoffs. The top 125 finishers in the season-long FedEx Cup points race made the cut for this weekend, with Matt Kuchar finishing third, followed by Chesson Hadley at No. 82 and Cameron Tringale at No. 101.

Kuchar, with two wins and eight top-10s this season, is sitting at his highest position since finishing a career-best second in the 2010 FedEx Cup. He led the race for most of the season before being overtaken at the Open Championship and WGC-FedEx St. Jude Classic by Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy. Kuchar is a mere two points behind McIlroy, but 574 points behind Koepka. Each FedEx Cup event offers 2,000 points to the winner.

Hadley has posted three top-10 finishes this season, but two of those came in the fall portion of the schedule. He had missed three straight cuts between tying for ninth place at the U.S. Open and tying for 53^rd last weekend at the Wyndham Championship, a home-state event for the Raleigh, N.C., native.

Tringale, who was forced to retain his PGA Tour privileges the last two years by competing in the Korn Ferry Tour finals, is in the playoffs for the first time since 2016, when he finished 107^th in the FedEx Cup race. He had made the playoffs six years running through the 2016 season. Tringale began June outside the top 125 but had four top-20s in his last six starts, and has a pair of top-10 finishes this season.

The top 70 points leaders after The Northern Trust this weekend will continue on to week 2, the BMW Championship Aug. 15-18 at Medinah Country Club. The top 30 in points after the BMW will come to Atlanta for the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.

Missing the playoffs were Richy Werenski, who fell shy by a scant 1.6 FedEx Cup points and finished No. 126, Roberto Castro (No. 142). Both players played well last weekend at the Wyndham Champoionship, each breaking 70 all four rounds, but were unable to make a big enough points jump to make the playoffs. Both players, by finishing in the top 150, retain conditional PGA Tour status.

They are also eligible to compete in the upcoming Korn Ferry Tour Finals – the top 75 finishers in the Korn Ferry regular season and PGA Tour players finishing No. 126-200 are eligible – along with Anders Albertson (No. 172), Stewart Cink (No. 179), Ollie Schniederjans (No. 180) and Seth Reeves (No. 188). The top 25 finishers in the three-event Korn Ferry Finals are awarded PGA Tour cards.

Cameron Tringale is in the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Korn Ferry Tour (formerly Web.com Tour):  Heading into the final event of the regular season, Vincent Whaley remains the only former Yellow Jacket in position to earn a PGA Tour card for 2018-19, sitting at No. 22 in Korn Ferry Tour points after tying for 47^th last weekend at the Ellie Mae Classic in California. The 2017 Tech grad has three top-10 finishes on the tour this year, but has slipped from 14^th place on the Korn Ferry list on June 16 following a third-place finish at the Lincoln Land Championship, missing three cuts in six events, and needs a good performance this week to keep from falling further.

The top 25 in points at the end of the regular season are awarded PGA Tour privileges for next season, while the top 75 maintain their status on the Korn Ferry Tour and play in the Finals. Paul Haley II, who missed the cut last weekend, sits at No. 71 on the points list. Nicholas Thompson, who tied for 47^th at the Ellie Mae, ranks No. 100, while J.T. Griffin (T-36 at Ellie Mae) is No. 112.

Elsewhere:  Chris Petefish earned his best finish on the MacKenzie Tour last weekend with a tie for 14^th place at the 1932by Bateman Open in Edmonton, Alberta. Petefish shot 10-under-par 274 in his second start this season. The 2018 graduate has made a start this year on the Korn Ferry Tour … Drew Czuchry tied for second place, two shots off the pace (137, -5), at last weekend’s Bryan Park Champions event on the GPro Tour.

My son was mad at me earlier this week for not letting him do something. In his anger, he told me that he hoped I’d miss the cut. I remembered that while I was playing. Don’t poke the bear. Playing the weekend. Let’s go! #StillLoveMySon pic.twitter.com/MLzqdBQnvv

— Chesson Hadley (@chessonhadley) August 2, 2019

UPCOMING EVENTS

• PGA Tour:  The Northern Trust • August 8-11, 2019 • Liberty National Golf Club • Jersey City, N.J. • Purse: $9,250,000 • FedEx Cup points: 2,000
• Web.com Tour:  WinCo Foods Portland Open • August 8-11, 2019 • Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club • North Plains, Ore. • Purse: $800,000
• PGA Tour Champions:  Dick’s Sporting Goods Open • August 16-18, 2019 • En-Joie Golf Club • Endicott, N.Y. • Purse: $2,050,000
• Mackenzie Tour:  ATB Financial Classic • August 8-11, 2019 • Country Hills Golf Club • Calgary, Alberta • Purse: $200,000
• PGA Tour China:  Zhouzhou Classic • September 19-22, 2019 • Xiangshui Bay Golf Club • Zhouzhou, China
• All Pro Tour:  Taco Bell Natchez Classic • August 7-10, 2019 • Beau Pre Country Club • Natchez, Miss. • Purse: $125,000
• SwingThought Tour:  Blacksburg Country Club • August 7-8, 2019 • Blacksburg, Va.
• G Pro Tour:  Chatmoss Classic • August 6-8, 2019 • Chatmoss Country Club • Martinsville, Va.