Duke alumni Alex Smalley did enough to advance last weekend at the BMW Championship, finishing in a tie for 16th at six-under and earning a spot in the Tour Championship, the final event in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Smalley comes into the Tour Championship ranked 23rd out of 30 qualified golfers.
However, with a new format this season, Smalley has as good of a chance to win as anyone. Beginning this season, all 30 golfers who made the Tour Championship will start at even par. In previous seasons, the No. 1 overall seed would start at 10-under par, while golfers in the 25 to 30 range would begin at even. Had last year's format been in play, Smalley would be starting Thursday's first round nine shots behind Scottie Scheffler, the regular season points leader.
Regardless of Smalley's finish this weekend, he'll take home a new career-best finish in the FedEx Cup. Prior to this year, Smalley's best placement was 54th overall back in the 2022-23 season. While he hasn't lifted a trophy, the former Blue Devil has three top-three finishes, including a T-2 finish at the 2026 PGA Championship. Prior to this Thursday's round, Smalley has earned over $5.4 million this season alone due to his consistent play, making 19 of 23 cuts.
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Duke alum earns career-best FedEx Cup finish and spot in Tour Championship
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