The PGA Tours annual playoff decider, the Wyndham Championship, has a decidedly different bubble this year.

With the PGA Tour shrinking the field for its FedExCup playoff opener, the FedEx St. Jude Invitational, from 125 players to just 70, the fight for the postseason was made much tougher. Sam Ryder, at No. 62, is mathematically safe, but the eight top-70 players behind him player who in past years would already be eyeing a run at the BMW Championship? They arent, and all eight, including current last man in Austin Eckroat, are in the Wyndham field.

As for those just outside the current playoff picture, those notables include Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas and Adam Scott. Further down the points list are Akshay Bhatia, Billy Horschel and Ludvig Aberg, the latter of whom still has an outside shot he'll need to win Sunday at Sedgefield Country Club.

Ben Taylor is Mr. 71 at the moment, and he only needs a minimum finish of solo 75th to have a chance at climbing into the top 70. Here are the minimum requirements for the next four players outside the bubble:

• 72. Garrick Higgo solo 51st
• 73. K.H. Lee solo 32nd
• 74. David Lingmerth Two-way tie for 26th
• 75. Davis Thompson solo 25th

Here is a look at 10 notable names currently out, why they're in such a position and what they need to do this week to keep their seasons alive:

Shane Lowry

FedExCup position: 76

Why hes in this spot: Lack of top-10s. Aside from a T-5 finish at the Honda Classic in February, Lowry doesnt have another top-10 finish in 17 starts. He does boast eight total top-20s, three of those coming in majors, but with the way FedExCup points are divvied out after the winners share, the quality of tournaments for those top-20s matter little.

Minimum finish needed: Two-way tie for 23rd

Justin Suh

FedExCup position: 77

Why hes in this position: Stagnant summer. Following a T-6 finish at The Players, Suh jumped to a season-best No. 61 in points. Hes missed just one cut in 14 starts since, but he also has just two top-25s during that span. He does rank No. 12 on Tour in strokes gained putting, so hell need to rely heavily on the flatstick at Sedgefield if he wants to keep his season going.

Minimum finish needed: Two-way tie for 19th

Justin Thomas

FedExCup position: 79

Why hes in this position: Ball-striking. Prior to this season, Thomas ranked in the top 5 in strokes gained tee to green for seven straight seasons. Hes been third or better in each of the past six. Right now, hes No. 25, which doesnt sound like a big deal, but when you combine that drop with being No. 158 in strokes gained putting, it explains why Thomas has struggled. His missed cut at 3M was his fifth in his past seven starts.

Minimum finish needed: Solo 18th

Matt Wallace

FedExCup position: 80

Why hes in this position: Post-win letdown. The Englishman jumped to No. 40 in points after winning the opposite-field Corales Puntacana Championship in late March. But hes followed that victory with no top-25s and seven missed cuts in 13 Tour starts.

Minimum finish needed: Solo 14th

Adam Scott

FedExCup position: 81

Why hes in this position: Approach play. He ranks a career-worst No. 130 in strokes gained approach after twice leading the Tour in that category and only ranking outside the top 100 once in the strokes-gained era. He strung together three top-10s in four starts, including a T-9 at Memorial, but hes made just 16 starts all season and with that type of workload, three total top-10s arent going to cut it.

Minimum finish needed: Two-way tie for ninth

Joel Dahmen

FedExCup position: 82

Why hes in this position: Hasn't replicated fall success. Dahmen entered the holidays in great position, ranked No. 15 points thanks to five finishes of T-16 or better, including top-5s at Mayakoba and Sea Island, in seven fall starts. He took all of January off as he and his wife prepared for the birth of their first child, but since returning at Pebble, hes cracked the top 40 just twice in 19 starts. His two finishes of T-11 or better this year came at Zurich, a team event, and Barracuda, an opposite-field event.

Minimum finish needed: Solo ninth

Kevin Yu

FedExCup position: 94

Why hes in this position: Knee surgery. When Yu tied for seventh at Pebble Beach in February, he rose to No. 40 in points. But early that next week, prior to playing the WM Phoenix Open, Yu suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee while working out. He needed surgery, and his recovery kept him out more than four months. When he returned at Travelers and finished T-49, he was outside the top 100 in points. Since then, hes made up some ground thanks mostly to a T-6 at the John Deere, but hes got some work to do at Wyndham.

Minimum finish needed: Two-way tie for third

Gary Woodland

FedExCup position: 97

Why hes in this position: Short game and putting. Woodlands ball-striking numbers resemble what theyve been in the past, but hes losing almost a full shot around and on the greens while ranking outside the top 175 in both categories. His missed cut at 3M was just his third in his past 14 starts, but putting too much pressure on his long game has resulted in no top-10s during that span.

Minimum finish needed: Two-way tie for third

Akshay Bhatia

FedExCup position: 99

Why hes in this position: Rules. Because Bhatia was a special temporary member when he won the Barracuda a couple weeks ago, an obscure Tour rule prevented him from earning non-member points at the co-sanctioned tournament, which featured a good number of DP World Tour players. Bhatia also didnt earn points for his T-9 at the Barbasol the previous week. Bhatia said he was shocked when he learned about the rule. Had he received points for those two events, hed be just outside the coveted top 50 and having already clinched a playoff berth.

Minimum finish needed: Two-way tie for third

Billy Horschel

FedExCup position: 116

Why hes in this position: Everything. He kicked off his season with a T-7 at the CJ Cup, but hes added just a single top-10 (making the Round of 16 at the WGC-Dell Match Play) since. His T-13 at 3M was his best finish since April, though it might be too little, too late. Horschel is down significantly in all four strokes-gained categories, and hes gone from No. 25 in total strokes gained last season to No. 131 this season.

Minimum finish needed: Two-way tie for second

Ludvig Aberg

FedExCup position: 145

Why hes in this position: Short runway. Turning pro in early June was always going to put Aberg, the No. 1 player in PGA Tour U, behind the 8-ball. Yet, hes made five of six cuts with three top-25s, including a T-4 at John Deere, to give himself a shot at the postseason with a nice week at Sedgefield. And if he doesnt, hes got his card for next season, too.

Minimum finish needed: Win