Jason Day's 18-year FedEx Cup Playoffs streak comes to crushing end at Wyndham Championship

Jason Day has endured another week to forget on the PGA Tour after missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship and, in the process, failing to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the first time in his career.

The former World No.1 needed a strong showing at Sedgefield Country Club to keep his season alive, but rounds of 71 and 73 left him at 4-over par and well outside the 3-under par cut line.

The result brings an end to an incredible streak for Day, who had qualified for the FedEx Cup Playoffs in each of the previous 18 seasons.

Day began the week 75th in the FedEx Cup standings, knowing he needed to climb into the top 70 to earn a place in next week's opening Playoffs event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis.

Instead, his missed cut at the Wyndham Championship is projected to leave him 81st in the standings, ending his hopes of extending his FedEx Cup campaign.

It continues a difficult spell for the 2015 PGA champion who has now missed three cuts in his last five PGA Tour appearances and also withdrew from another tournament during that stretch.

Continued back pain has played a significant role in Day's struggles once again this season, with the Australian admitting after his second round that his body has made it particularly difficult to compete.

Day failed to make a birdie until his 13th hole during Thursday's opening round. He then opened his Friday round with a birdie at the 10th, but that proved to be his final birdie of the tournament.

An eagle at the 5th briefly offered some encouragement, but by that stage Day's fate had effectively been sealed.

Speaking after missing the cut, Day admitted that he is looking forward to stepping away from competitive golf and focusing on getting his body right.

“I'm looking forward to taking some time off. My body's been really awful actually this year, so just to try and grind through it has been tough.”

Day also revealed that he had hoped to play in the 3M Open and Rocket Classic in recent weeks, but was unable to do so because of recurring lower back pain, which has largely plagued his PGA Tour career for close to a decade. 

“The last two days have been pretty hard to try and get my body ready,” Day told reporters at Sedgefield Country Club. 

“I wanted to play like 3M and Detroit and unfortunately I couldn't do anything there.”

Despite the disappointment of seeing his long-running Playoffs streak come to an end, Day appeared philosophical about the situation.

“Yeah, it was a good streak obviously, but I would have loved to keep the streak going,” he said.

“But things happen, you know. You're not going to keep everything going forever. Best to kind of take some time off, get my body sorted and try and come out next year and play well.”

Day's omission from the FedEx Cup Playoffs is particularly notable given his career achievements.

The Australian won his only major title at the 2015 PGA Championship and has claimed 13 PGA Tour victories during his career. 

His most recent PGA Tour win came at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May 2023.

However, injuries and inconsistent form have made the current season a difficult one, and his Wyndham Championship exit ensures his FedEx Cup campaign is now over.

With only the top 70 players in the standings qualifying for the Playoffs, the current World No.61 will not be part of the field at next week's FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Instead, the 38-year-old will have an extended break to recover from his injury problems and work on rebuilding his game.