PGA TOUR rookies have a lot to learn, and the learning curve can be merciless. New courses, new cities and a grander stage can amplify the inherent pressure of competing for beefy purses – particularly amidst a season’s inevitable downturns.

That’s why the FedExCup Fall is so crucial for the newest PGA TOUR members, a late-season opportunity to compete for titles and maintain status. Steven Fisk is proof positive.

After finishing No. 140 on the FedExCup after the Wyndham Championship, Fisk knew he needed something special in the fall to avoid a return to Q-School and likely the Korn Ferry Tour for next season. The Georgia native delivered in a big way at the Sanderson Farms Championship, earning his first PGA TOUR title in his 24th career TOUR start, two strokes clear of Garrick Higgo.

Suddenly Fisk is exempt on TOUR through 2027 and can erase Q-School from his proposed calendar. Although he’s competing at this week’s Bank of Utah Championship with an eye on qualifying for two early-season Signature Events in 2026 (he’s currently No. 66 on the FedExCup Fall, just six spots shy of qualifying via the Aon Next 10), he is free to clear his schedule for the rest of the autumn if he pleases. With four strong rounds at the Sanderson, he proved his mettle at the game’s highest level – and that’s what the FedExCup Fall is all about.

Just four events remain in the FedExCup Fall, beginning at this week’s Bank of Utah Championship, before PGA TOUR status for 2026 is finalized. The top 100 on the FedExCup Fall after The RSM Classic in late November will be exempt on the 2026 PGA TOUR, with Nos. 101-150 retaining varying levels of conditional status.

Fisk became the fourth rookie to win on TOUR in 2025, joining Karl Vilips (Puerto Rico Open), Aldrich Potgieter (Rocket Classic) and William Mouw (ISCO Championship). These four have assured their exempt TOUR status for two more years and won’t have to fret as the holiday season approaches. For several rookies outside the cutoff marks with just four events to play, though, the inverse sentiment is true. With just five PGA TOUR cards available at Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry in December, the odds of retaining any TOUR status from outside the top 150 on the FedExCup Fall is nearly lottery-esque.

With that in mind, here are five players outside the top 150 on the FedExCup Fall who face high stakes in the coming weeks – and a reason to believe they possess the gear to make a late move and keep their status.

No. 151 Quade Cummins

Reason for hope: The putter

The University of Oklahoma alum has made the cut in 14 of 23 starts this season, but he hasn’t quite broken through and thus needs a strong autumn to keep his card. Cummins is without a top-10 finish this season, and none of his three top 25s came in an event with full FedExCup point allotment. Although his tee-to-green metrics are below average on TOUR this season, he has fared well on the greens at No. 45 in Strokes Gained: Putting, a continuation of his 2024 Korn Ferry Tour campaign where he ranked second in putting average and first in putts per round. It’s an encouraging sign that a hot putting week could be in his near future, which could lend itself to a much-needed high finish.

No. 159 Will Chandler

Reason for hope: His clutch gene

Chandler has made just nine cuts in 25 starts across his maiden TOUR campaign and needs to right the ship quickly to avoid a return to Q-School to keep any status. The silver lining there? He earned his TOUR card with a top-five finish at Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry last fall and knows he has the intestinal fortitude to survive the Q-School gauntlet if it comes to that. That experience should also serve him well in the coming weeks that will take on an increasingly Q-School-esque vibe as the FedExCup Fall winds down. An additional feather in his cap: He finished T6 in his third TOUR start as a member at the WM Phoenix Open in February, closing in 5-under 66 at TPC Scottsdale in a Sunday pairing alongside world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Chandler seems to elevate his game when the moment matters most, and the next few weeks matter a great deal.

No. 171 John Pak

Reason for hope: His accuracy

Pak took a circuitous route to the PGA TOUR after finishing atop the inaugural PGA TOUR University Ranking in 2022 (before the No. 1 spot came with a TOUR card). He lost his Korn Ferry Tour status after that 2022 season, earned it back via PGA TOUR Canada in 2023 and then finished 23rd on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List to earn his first TOUR card. His rookie season has been slow thus far; He has made just 10 cuts in 22 starts and recorded just one top-25 finish, a T17 at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, and he enters this week’s Bank of Utah Championship on the heels of seven missed cuts in his last eight starts. The good news for Pak is that his precision game sets up well for a good deal of the fall schedule, namely the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and The RSM Classic at two of the TOUR’s shortest venues. Although Pak ranks No. 160 on TOUR in driving distance, he’s No. 27 in driving accuracy, a skill that can shine bright this time of year.

No. 177 Cristobal Del Solar

Reason for hope: He’s Mr. 57

Del Solar has struggled to find a footing on TOUR in his rookie campaign with just 10 made cuts in 22 starts and no top-25 finishes in individual events. But if you’re looking for a player down the ranks who has the firepower to make an unexpected move, consider Del Solar, who carded a 57 on the Korn Ferry Tour in Bogota a year ago, the lowest recorded score across the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour. There’s something to be said for a player keeping the pedal down after a string of birdies, not being afraid to go as low as possible. Del Solar has proven that he possesses that fearlessness, which could serve him well in the coming weeks as he looks to maintain TOUR membership.

No. 190 Braden Thornberry

Reason for hope: It’s his time of year

The former top-ranked amateur took a longer route to the TOUR than a younger Thornberry might have envisioned, but it was worth the wait at last fall’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance which he won with a sizzling 6-under 66 at French Lick Resort on the season’s final day. Thornberry has struggled to translate that success to the TOUR thus far; he arrives in Utah with just six made cuts in 22 starts this season, and his best finish in an individual event is T41 at the Corales Puntacana Championship in April. But this seems to be Thornberry’s time of the year; his heroics at last year’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship came in October, and he has a history of autumn Q-School success highlighted by co-medalist honors at Final Stage in December 2019. With just four events remaining in the FedExCup Fall, Thornberry might be down, but he’s certainly not out.