The Sony Open in Hawaii is set-up for an exciting finish over the weekend, with a three-way tie for the lead taking place going into Saturday. Along with the leaders, 38 players sit just four shots behind!
However, it's one of those at the top who is making headlines, with Carl Yuan amongst the three PGA Tour pros vying for the title, despite the fact he finished outside the top-125 of the FedEx Cup standings at the end of 2023.
So, how is the 26-year-old able to feature in this tournament, you may ask? Well, Yuan was the lucky player to see his position change following Jon Rahm's departure to LIV Golf in December 2023.
As is the case every year, the top-125 in the FedEx Cup standings guarantee their playing rights for the 2024 PGA Tour season. Finishing the 2022-23 season in 126th position, just one point behind the 125th spot, Yuan saw his position move by one, due to the fact that Rahm was suspended and removed from the FedEx Cup standings following his departure to LIV.
“I was very thrilled,” Yuan said at the Sony Open on Friday. “It gives me another chance to improve and get better," he claimed, before revealing that he found out the news on the Monday of Q-School, an event he was present at as he went in search for a full PGA Tour card.
What really saved the 26-year-old, though, was the PGA Tour's fall schedule, a seven event series that gives players from outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings a chance to accumulate points and move into specific events. Struggling in his rookie year on the PGA Tour, Yuan finished the regular PGA Tour season, before the fall schedule, at 151st, before the three-month stretch gave him a chance to move up the standings.
Although Ryan Moore pushed him into the 126th spot, Rahm's move meant he jumped to 125th, securing full playing rights. “Luckily I got full status, but I’m still trying to do the same thing and come out here and play the best I can," explained Yuan, who is looking for a maiden PGA Tour title in Hawaii.
