We might only be halfway through the calendar year, but the PGA TOUR season is much closer to a conclusion. As July begins, just five weeks remain until the start of the FedExCup Playoffs and more than a few top players have work to do if they want to make a deep run into those Playoffs and avoid unnecessary stress in the FedExCup Fall.

This week’s John Deere Classic is the first of four Full-Field Events in this frenetic stretch. The Open Championship in two weeks is the last chance for players to play for heightened points totals, while others will just hope to scratch out any points they can at the pair of Additional Events later this month.

So ahead of the John Deere Classic, here’s a look at five top players who need to step up this summer.

1. Xander Schauffele

Will 2025 be a lost year for Xander Schauffele? That will be decided over the next two months.

In what was supposed to be another year of Schauffele’s prime, a rib injury stunted Schauffele’s start and he has yet to get back to his dominant ways. At No. 56 in the FedExCup, making the FedExCup Playoffs shouldn’t be an issue, and odds are he will find his way into the top 50 by the BMW Championship. But missing the TOUR Championship for the first time in his career is certainly a possibility.

It’s a streak Schauffele would like to maintain, but it’s more about what keeping it alive would signify – that perhaps this was a worthwhile season after all. It’s hard for Schauffele to make that claim at this point. After 26 top 10s over his last two seasons, he has just one this year. That was a T8 at the Masters, a tournament he was never a threat to win late on Sunday. At this point in his career, wins (and chances at wins) are how Schauffele measures success. There are still several prime opportunities to rewrite this season’s narrative. He’s won the Genesis Scottish Open before and will arrive at Royal Portrush as the defending Champion Golfer of the Year. If he can make it to East Lake, he will be a threat there, too.

2. Tom Kim

Like Schauffele, Tom Kim’s card is locked up for next season regardless of how he finishes the year, but everything beyond that is still up for grabs.

It’s been a disappointing step back this year for Kim, who aimed to make improvements over the offseason that have never been fully realized. Instead, they’ve proved to be a hindrance.

He’s in the field at the John Deere Classic this week and currently sits at 90th in the FedExCup standings, well outside the FedExCup Playoffs and Signature Event consideration. This will be his fifth week in a row and it doesn’t appear he will have a week off until after The Open Championship, attempting to fix his game on the fly before it’s too late.

3. Adam Hadwin

From the FedExCup top 50 to the Korn Ferry Tour? That’s in play for Adam Hadwin, who finished inside the top 50 last year and has played in every Signature Event this season and is still at risk of losing his PGA TOUR card.

Currently 120th in the FedExCup, Hadwin has finished no better than 29th in any Signature Event this season. He’s only bested that finish three times in Full-Field Events, with his best results including a T9 at the WM Phoenix Open at a T12 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

It would be quite the fall for the Canadian, who has safely kept his card since 2014 without many scares.

4. Wyndham Clark

Will Wyndham Clark miss the FedExCup Playoffs? At No. 77 in the standings, it’s a real conversation.

Clark has struggled with his game and his emotions in recent months, without a top-15 finish since he tied for fifth at the Texas Children’s Houston Open in March.

Clark has been particularly poor in some of the biggest events this season. He missed the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship (he finished runner-up in 2024) and finished T46-T50-CUT in the first three majors of the year.

Clark has played the Genesis Scottish Open well in his career (two top-20s) but not The Open (zero top-30s), so he will need to repeat that or do even better if he hopes to crack the top-70 before the TOUR returns stateside. If he doesn’t, it sets up a tense two weeks at the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship for the former U.S. Open winner.

5. Nick Dunlap

Nick Dunlap would be in a similar situation to Adam Hadwin had Dunlap not won twice in 2024 to secure his TOUR card through 2027.

Still, this is an important stretch for the 21-year-old. Dunlap, No. 132 in the FedExCup, has missed the cut in eight of the last nine events that have had a cut, and the game hasn’t shown signs of consistency. His performance off the tee is particularly concerning. Dunlap hasn’t gained strokes driving in an event since the BMW Championship last August.

In all likelihood, this will be a lost season for Dunlap. But can he regain any mojo over this summer stretch, make a late push for the Playoffs and set himself up with better vibes for 2026?