Sungjae Im was the only golfer to play his way into the BMW Championship from outside the FedEx Cup top 50 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. The South Korean tied for fifth at 7 under par despite a final-round 74, lifting him from 53rd to 40th in the points race and securing a place in the second leg of the PGA Tour's three-week playoffs. Jordan Spieth, who began the week 54th and needed a solo 23rd finish just to have a mathematical chance of advancing, faded after opening rounds of 65 and 69. Weekend rounds of 72 and 70 left him in a five-way tie for 19th at 4 under, pushing him to No. 52 in points, one of the first players eliminated. Keith Mitchell dropped out from 49th to 51st after tying for 34th at 1 under, while Matt McCarty slipped from 48th to the 50th and final qualifying spot despite a T63 finish at 7 over. Spieth said he needed to be "almost flawless" on Sunday and remained confident about his form even as his season ended. Other notable players who failed to advance included Max Homa, Harris English, Corey Conners of Canada, Shane Lowry of Ireland, Brian Harman and rookie Jackson Koivun. The top 50 advanced to the BMW Championship, and the top 30 after that event will qualify for the Tour Championship.