Dublin, Ohio ? Gary Woodland was tied for the lead on Sunday at the Memorial and still very much in contention when he missed an 8-foot par putt on the 17th hole and failed to convert a birdie from about the same distance on the 18th. He tied for fourth and moved up 14 spots in the world ranking to No. 64.
Ryan Palmer was battling with Jordan Spieth on the back nine at Colonial until Spieth birdied his last three holes. Palmer made birdie on the last hole to tie for third with Webb Simpson, who birdied two of his last three. Palmer went up 12 spots and now is No. 62.
Neither made it through U.S. Open qualifying on Monday — Palmer missed by a shot in Tennessee, while Woodland withdrew on the back nine during a rain delay when it was clear he wasn’t going to make it.
The FedEx St. Jude Classic is their last chance, and it’s a reasonable one.
The USGA will take the top 60 in the world ranking after this week for players not already eligible. Palmer likely would need a top 10 at the St. Jude Classic, while Woodland probably could sew it up with anything around fifth.
Also in the field is Fabian Gomez, who would need at least a fourth-place finish to have any chance. Gomez is No. 68 and the victim of bad timing. He won the St. Jude Classic last year at No. 288 in the world, too far back to move into the top 50. He also won the Sony Open in January. That’s two PGA Tour victories in the last year and the Argentine is still not in the U.S. Open.
Depending on the strength of field in Memphis — the weakest of the year for a full PGA Tour event — someone like Charles Howell III could win and crack the top 60.
On the European Tour, Joost Luiten is No. 69 in the world and would have to finish runner-up to have a chance in Austria.
