FedExCup Playoffs: Kurt Kitayama plays his way into the postseason with 3M Open win

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After a dominant weekend in the Twin Cities, Kurt Kitayama appears to have played his way into the FedExCup Playoffs.

Kitayama held on to win the 3M Open on Sunday afternoon outside of Minneapolis, just one day after he matched the course record with an 11-under 60. He nearly fired a 59 on Saturday, too, but he slipped and bogeyed the par-3 17th. 

The win marked the second of his career, and his first since he won the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Perhaps most notably, though, was the jump in the FedExCup standings that Kitayama made after his win. The 32-year-old entered the week at No. 97 in the Official World Golf Rankings and No. 110 in the FedExCup race — which had him significantly out of the 70-man cutoff for the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The win, however, moved him up 57 spots to No. 53.

Barring something major happening next week in the final event of the PGA Tour season, Kitayama should now be safely into the postseason.

The top 70 golfers in the FedExCup standings will earn entry into the FedEx St. Jude Championship next month, which marks the first of the Tour’s three playoffs events. This is the third year of the Tour’s new postseason system, which cut the field size down from 125 to 70 for the first playoff event.

After the tournament in Memphis, the top 50 golfers will earn entry into the BMW Championship the following week. Those who make it into the BMW Championship will also earn automatic entry into the eight signature events on Tour next season.

From there, the top 30 will qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta. That tournament is set to kick off on Aug. 21, and will feature a traditional start this season, rather than the staggered starting strokes format it’s used in the past.

The Wyndham Championship next week is the final opportunity for golfers to make a move into the playoffs. Here’s a look at where things stand entering Sedgefield Country Club in North Carolina:

FedExCup standings: Top 10

As of Sunday, July 27

The top 10 remained unchanged after the 3M Open.

FedExCup standings: Just inside the bubble

As of Sunday, July 27

Emiliano Grillo made the biggest move in this group. He started the week in Minnesota at No. 71, just two points shy of the cutoff for the playoffs. But a T20 finish jumped him up five spots safely to No. 66. Now, it's Matti Schmid and Ben An who are at the biggest risk of sliding out of the playoffs entering the final week of the season.

FedExCup standings: Outside looking in

As of Sunday, July 27

Nicolai Højgaard was not in the field this past week, and he ended up slipping from No. 69 to No. 71 because of it. He'll be in the field in North Carolina, though, so he'll need to make a jump to keep his season alive. Keith Mitchell will join him, as he's now just five points shy, too.