Johnny Keefer faces FedEx Cup bubble with PGA Tour season winding down
Johnny Keefer was No. 71 entering the 3M Open, leaving him just outside the playoffs as he leans on past bubble experience.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Johnny Keefer’s FedEx Cup push has come down to the edge of the knife. CBS Sports reported that the 25-year-old PGA Tour rookie entered the 3M Open at No. 71 in the standings, which would have made him the first player left out of the postseason if the cutoff had arrived then.
The clock has not run out, but the margin is thin. Keefer missed the cut at the 3M Open, according to CBS Sports, a result that did not help his chase with the regular season winding down.
Keefer told CBS Sports he is trying to treat the race as something outside his direct control. His view, he said, is that he can only handle his own preparation and shots, then accept where the points fall.
“Good golf solves a lot of problems,” Keefer told CBS Sports. He added that being on or off the bubble does not change the job in front of him.
Can Johnny Keefer make the FedEx Cup Playoffs?
Keefer still has time to play his way in, according to CBS Sports, with points remaining before the PGA Tour regular season closes. The FedEx Cup bubble is the cutoff zone around the final postseason places, and Keefer’s No. 71 position entering the 3M Open put him just outside that line.
This is familiar territory for Keefer. CBS Sports noted that he has already faced several career-shaping cutoffs in a short professional climb, starting with his college exit from Baylor.
As a fifth-year senior, Keefer finished 25th in PGA Tour University, the last spot in that pathway that provided status on PGA Tour Americas, according to CBS Sports. Keefer used that opening to earn a Korn Ferry Tour card.
He told CBS Sports that he felt more upbeat than a player who narrowly missed a Korn Ferry card and had to take the PGA Tour Americas route. Keefer said he viewed that stage as his first real job as a professional and tried to keep the mood light while making birdies.
The next step came fast. On the Korn Ferry Tour, CBS Sports reported, Keefer became just the third player to win Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in the same season, joining Sungjae Im and Scottie Scheffler.
Another pressure point followed at the RSM Classic, the FedEx Cup Fall finale. Keefer received a sponsor exemption while trying to land his first Masters invitation, then finished inside the top 10 to secure a place at Augusta National the next April, according to CBS Sports.
His recent form has shown why the playoff push is alive. CBS Sports reported that Keefer has two top-10 finishes in his last seven tournaments, including a career-best tie for third at the Scottish Open.
Keefer told CBS Sports he had been putting pressure on himself early, but felt he had reset. He said he is trying to play freely and keep the stakes in perspective, whether a round turns into a 66 or a 76.
The equation now is plain: Keefer needs results, and quickly. His past says he knows the bubble well. His next few rounds will decide whether that comfort turns into a rookie playoff berth.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.