Four-time PGA Tour winner withdraws from Playoffs opener as FedEx Cup race ends

Daniel Berger has withdrawn from the FedEx St Jude Championship at TPC Southwind, leaving the opening event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs with a 69-player field.

Berger had qualified for the postseason after finishing 60th in the FedEx Cup standings, but his race is now over following his decision to WD from the first Playoffs event.

The 33-year-old American also sat out last week's Wyndham Championship, the final tournament of the PGA Tour's regular season, but remained safely inside the top 70. 

As it stands, Berger is the only player who qualified for the FedEx Cup Playoffs who will not tee it up at TPC Southwind.

No official reason has been given for his withdrawal.

The PGA Tour does not require players to provide a reason when withdrawing before the opening round of an event, so it remains unclear whether Berger is dealing with another injury issue or has made the decision for personal reasons.

There will also be no replacement for Berger in the field at the FedEx St Jude Championship, with the PGA Tour not maintaining an alternate list for Playoffs events.

It means only 69 players remain in the race for the FedEx Cup. 

After successfully qualifying for this year's Playoffs, Berger will now fail to advance any further in the FedEx Cup as only the top 50 in the standings past this week advance to next week's second Playoffs event, the BMW Championship.

The WD will be a further blow to Berger given he has captured two of his four titles on the PGA Tour in Memphis. 

Berger's latest withdrawal comes after a difficult run of form. 

The American's last appearance was a missed cut at The Open at Royal Birkdale last month. 

Berger, currently ranked 55th in the world, has missed the cut in four of his last five PGA Tour starts, although his season has also featured an encouraging runner-up finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in March.

That result in Florida marked his best PGA Tour finish since winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2021 and was particularly impressive given the challenges he has faced with injury in recent years.

Berger spent 19 months away from competitive golf after suffering a serious lower-back injury in 2022, before eventually making his way back to the PGA Tour.

The FedEx St Jude Championship does not have a halfway cut, meaning the remaining 69 players will all compete through Sunday's final round.

The field will then be reduced to the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings for next week's BMW Championship, before only the top 30 in the race advance to the following week's season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake.

Rory McIlroy will begin the postseason chasing a record fourth FedEx Cup title from 12th place in the standings.

Tommy Fleetwood will attempt to defend the trophy he won at East Lake last season, with the Englishman starting out the Playoffs in ninth place. 

Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark and Chris Gotterup occupy the top five spots in the standings ahead of the Playoffs opener. 

Justin Rose is the defending champion at the FedEx St Jude Championship.

The Memphis event has recently faced uncertainty over its future, with the tournament set to miss out on the PGA Tour's Championship Series from 2028 — a decision that reportedly disappointed title sponsor FedEx.