[Photo: Getty images]

Three Australians progressed through the opening event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs and into the BMW Championship, which also boosted their 2025 schedule of elite events.

Hideki Matsuyama survived a chaotic back nine to win the FedEx St Jude by two shots, his 10th career PGA Tour victory. After starting the round with a five-shot lead, the Japanese star still needed to birdie the final two holes to win. The 2021 Masters champion became the first player in nearly 30 years to win at TPC Southwind by making birdies on both 17 and 18. Xander Schauffele, winner of two majors in 2024, finished second, tied with defending FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland. Scottie Scheffler was solo fourth.

Matsuyama’s first win of 2024 came at the Genesis Invitational in February at Riviera, when he ended a two-year victory drought with a final-round 62. Recently, Matsuyama claimed an Olympic bronze medal in Paris.

Among the Australians, Jason Day, Adam Scott and Cameron Davis finished the St Jude Championship in Memphis within the top 50 on the FedEx Cup standings, the cutoff for this week’s BMW Championship in Denver, Colorado.

Importantly, making the top 50 also ensures Day, Scott and Davis are eligible for all of the Signature events on the PGA Tour in 2025. Scott was not exempt into them this year and had to rely on sponsor’s invitations for several of the $US20 million elite tournaments which include the Genesis Invitational at Riviera.

At six-under-par, Jason Day was T22 in Memphis and his FedEx Cup rank was 25th. Scott carded and three closing rounds in the 60s to finish T18 at seven-under to come in at 41st on the FedEx standings, while Davis snuck in at 49th following a T40 in Memphis.

Davis did just enough despite a double bogey at the last to stay inside the cutoff.

“I’ve done it every year for the last three years,” Davis said of the nerves of being close to 50th. “I feel like I’m constantly in this position where you’ve had a good season but still a little low missing next year, which doesn’t feel right, and it’s extra frustrating right now that I finished the way I did after playing the way I did all the way up until that point.”

Min Woo Lee, though, was bundled out of the playoffs despite a valiant effort to shoot 66 on the final day in Memphis and post a T22 at six-under.

Meanwhile, on the PGA Tour Champions, Australian senior golfer Richard Green closed with a career-low 62, 68 over the weekend rounds to capture his third runner-up this season and fourth top-10 finish in his most recent five starts.

The LPGA Tour hosted the Women’s Scottish Open, the event before the tour heads to the Old Course at St Andrews for the Women’s British Open this week. At the Scottish Open, Gabi Ruffels was the top Australia at T6, while Minjee Lee was T12 fresh off her Olympics campaign for the Australian team. Grace Kim was T15 in Scotland while Steph Kyriacou was T33 and Kirsten Rudgeley was T41.