Rickie Fowler. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Rickie Fowler's popularity is giving him an unfair advantage

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 11:11 AM ET

Rickie Fowler finished T6 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Sunday to barely squeak into the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings and qualify for the BMW Championship.

It secured his spot in all eight Signature Events in 2026, but he was lucky to find himself in that position in the first place.

Fowler finished outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings last season, meaning he wasn't guaranteed a spot in any of the eight Signature Events in 2025.

Players in that position can only qualify for those tournaments by cracking the top 30 in the Official World Golf Ranking or playing their way in through the Aon Next 10 or the Aon Swing 5.

However, there is another way.

If players can't make it into Signature Events on their own, they can get bailed out with sponsor exemptions. Luckily for Fowler, he's a popular fan favorite and a dream partner for corporate sponsors.

As such, the World No. 87 received sponsor exemptions to six of the eight Signature Events on the 2025 PGA Tour schedule. Thanks to a few strong finishes in those tournaments, Fowler earned 319 of his 665 regular-season FedEx Cup points in those six starts. That's nearly 50 percent of the points he earned in 19 total starts.

"You just know what's at stake getting into that top 50"

️ Bubble boys Rickie Fowler, Kurt Kitayama, Bud Cauley, Jhonattan Vegas and J.T. Poston on what it means to lock up a spot in the 2026 Signature Events. pic.twitter.com/OZzq9fMMRK
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 11, 2025

Without those critical FedEx Cup points, Fowler wouldn't have even made the playoffs. Instead, he snuck in at 64th in the standings and used a strong week at TPC Southwind to vault inside the top 50. Credit to him for playing well when he needed to, but he was only in that position because he was gifted opportunities other players weren't.

Take Chris Kirk, for example. After struggling for most of the 2025 season, the 40-year-old came to life down the stretch with a T12 at the U.S. Open, a T2 at the Rocket Classic, a T14 at the 3M Open and a T5 at the Wyndham Championship to crack the playoff field. A T9 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship should've been enough to put him in the top 50, but he finished three slots behind Fowler at No. 51.

Aldrich Potgieter, who won a PGA Tour event this year, unlike Fowler, wasn't invited to play in any of the eight Signature Events on the schedule. One sponsor exemption may have been enough to push him up a few spots from 51st in the standings.

Fans won't be complaining about seeing more Fowler next season, but players on the bubble who weren't given the same opportunities have a legitimate gripe.

Jack Dougherty

Jack Dougherty has been writing professionally since 2015, contributing to publications such as GoPSUSports. com, Centre Daily Times, Associated Press, and Sportscasting. com

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