Presidents Cup standings update: Smith improves to No.6

Just three weeks remain until the top-eight players on each team officially qualify for the 2019 Presidents Cup following the conclusion of the BMW Championship on August 18. Cameron Smith, in search of his Presidents Cup debut, finished T12 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and improved two spots in the International Team standings from No.8 to No.6.

The Presidents Cup will return to Melbourne, Australia and The Royal Melbourne Golf Club for the third time, December 9-15, 2019, when the International Team, led by Captain Ernie Els, will take on the US Team led by Captain Tiger Woods.

The 25-year-old Queenslander has jumped four spots in the standings over the past two weeks thanks to back-to-back top-25 finishes against world-class fields at The Open Championship and WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Smith is in the field at this week’s Wyndham Championship and will qualify for the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs the following week at The Northern Trust.

Currently No.75 in the FedEx Cup standings, Smith will need another solid start over the next two weeks to qualify for the BMW Championship – where only the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings are invited – and give himself one final opportunity to punch his ticket to Royal Melbourne. A Presidents Cup berth would provide more reason to celebrate for Smith, who will turn 26 on August 18 when the top eight is confirmed.

“I feel like my game is coming back to where it needs to be,” Smith said. “I feel really confident with my putter and typically when I feel good with my putter, the rest of my game just kind of comes around.”

International Team standings leader Marc Leishman remains the top qualifier following a solo-third finish at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational that was highlighted by a third-round 63 at TPC Southwind. It was Leishman’s sixth top-five finish of the season on the PGA Tour, which has him primed for a deep run through the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

RIGHT: Leishman remains on top of the International standings after his third-place finish last week. PHOTO: Matt Sullivan/Getty Images.

While Smith has given himself additional breathing room inside the top eight, Jason Day remains on the bubble at No.7 following a T40 finish in Memphis. Day will take the week off before returning for the FedEx Cup Playoffs at The Northern Trust. At No.38 in the FedEx Cup standings, Day will likely qualify for the second round of the Playoffs at the BMW Championship, giving him two final chances to snag one of eight Presidents Cup spots.

Rounding out the top eight is Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan, who slipped two spots in the standings to No.8 following a T48 finish in Memphis. Pan is looking to become the first player from Chinese Taipei to qualify for the Presidents Cup.

Among the players in the field at this week’s Wyndham Championship who are currently outside the top eight include: INT Team: Abraham Ancer (No.10), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (No.18), Corey Conners (No.17), Adam Hadwin (No.15) and Sungjae Im (No.13); US Team: Charles Howell III (No.15), Webb Simpson (No.10), Chez Reavie (No.13) and Patrick Reed (No.17).

On the US Team, Brooks Koepka continues to bolster his position atop the standings after nabbing his seventh PGA Tour win and first World Golf Championships title at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. This will be Koepka’s second Presidents Cup appearance after making his debut at Liberty National in 2017.

The top American in Memphis behind Koepka was Webb Simpson, who fired a final-round 64 to finish runner up for his best finish on Tour since his win at the 2018 Players Championship. Simpson moved up one spot in the standings to No.10 as he prepares to play in this week’s Wyndham Championship where he is a past winner. The rest of the top 10 in the US Team standings saw no movement.

US Captain Woods remains at No.12 in the standings and will make his next start in the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs at next week’s The Northern Trust. With 3,868 US Presidents Cup points, Woods is 1,030 points behind the No.8 position currently held by Gary Woodland.

The top 15 players in the International and US Presidents Cup Team Standings as of July 29, 2019 are listed below. Click here for the full Presidents Cup standings.

INTERNATIONAL

Rank Last Week Player Country Points
1. 1 Marc Leishman Australia 188.22

2. 2 Louis Oosthuizen South Africa 163.58

3. 3 Hideki Matsuyama Japan 155.16

4. 4 Adam Scott Australia 151.62

5. 5 Haotong Li China 128.63

6. 8 Cameron Smith Australia 122.97

7. 7 Jason Day Australia 119.06

8. 6 C.T. Pan Chinese Taipei 118.90

9. 9 Jazz Janewattananond Thailand 111.54

10. 10 Abraham Ancer Mexico 111.45

11. 11 Justin Harding South Africa 107.15