Bubba Watson’s triumph at Riviera last weekend earned a return to next week’s WGC Mexico Championship, jumping him inside the top 50 in the world rankings at the qualification cutoff. The two-time Masters champ rose all the way from 117th to No.40.
Bubba’s gain was Si Woo Kim’s loss, as The Players Championship titleholder slipped to No.51 – by half a thousandth of a point – and isn’t otherwise qualified. The Korean pro has one more chance, among a handful seeking a last-gasp berth by joining the top 50 after this week’s Honda Classic.
OWGR TOP 50 BUBBLE
Rank – Pts Avg – Player (Last Week)
50. (2.4319) – Adam Hadwin (57)*
51. (2.4314) – Si Woo Kim (48)
52. (2.4042) – Cameron Smith (58)
53. (2.3807) – Bernd Wiesberger (50)*
54. (2.3338) – Yusako Miyazato (52)*
55. (2.3315) – Russell Henley (54)*
56. (2.3143) – Kyle Stanley (53)*
57. (2.2708) – James Hahn (61)
58. (2.2606) – Adam Scott (51)
59. (2.2597) – Zach Johnson (55)
*Already qualified via other criteria
Austin Cook, who missed a Mexico invite when he fell out of the FedExCup’s top 10 on Sunday, can get a reprieve with a top-25 finish at Honda. Chesson Hadley also has a mathematical chance, but needs to finish no worse than fourth at PGA National. Pebble winner Ted Potter Jr. will need a third or better.
FEDEXCUP TOP 10 BUBBLE
Position – Player – (Points) (*OWGR)
9. Justin Thomas (758) (*4)
10. Patrick Cantlay (757) (*34)
11. Gary Woodland (750) (*26)
12. Austin Cook (730)
13. Brian Harman (630) (*21)
14. Justin Rose (628) (*5)
15. Chesson Hadley (618)
16. Phil Mickelson (599) (*32)
17. Ted Potter Jr. (589)
*Qualified via OWGR Top 50
This content originally appeared as part of The Starter.
Credits: Getty Images, PGA Resort
