With an Assist From LIV Golf's Jon Rahm, Carl Yuan Contended at the Sony Open

The second-year Tour pro wouldn't have been at Waialae had Jon Rahm not gone to LIV and been removed from the FedEx Cup points list.

More Weekly Read: Bryson's bullish on peace in golf | Gary Woodland's positive return | Rory's road to Augusta

Carl Yuan was a big winner on the Sony Open. Maybe not on the scoreboard—although he gave it a furious run on Sunday before missing a playoff by a stroke. But Yuan, a PGA Tour rookie last season, would not have even been in Hawaii if he were not for the departure of Jon Rahm to LIV Golf.

Yuan made the cut at the final FedEx Fall event, the RSM Classic in November. But he didn’t do enough on the weekend to secure a fully exempt spot on the PGA Tour. He came agonizingly close, finishing 126th with just the top 125 exempt. And that’s a huge difference.

Players who finish 126 to 150 on the final FedEx Cup list go to an exemption category that falls behind the 10 players from the DP World Tour, the 30 from the Korn Ferry Tour and the five who advanced from the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.

Carl Yuan finished in a tie for fourth at the Sony Open, a strong start to his second Tour season :: Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

In other words, there was no chance of Yuan getting in the Sony field from that position. In fact, that category of players will find it difficult to get into a lot of tournaments in 2023.

Then Rahm went to LIV. Yuan was going to return to Q-School but now didn’t need to do so. The Tour announced that Rahm would be removed from the FedEx list for the purpose of qualification. It meant that Mackenzie Hughes, moved from 51st to 50th, thus assuring spots in all eight Signature Events.

And it meant Yuan going from non-exempt to exempt. “It was more kind of a relief, I guess," said Yuan, who thought that his number would have gotten him into the Sony. But he'd not have gotten in nor this week at the American Express Championship.

Being in the top 125 means a start at the Players Championship and it will give him more opportunities to play at places he prefers. And now he’s well on his way to being exempt for 2025.

A Few More Things ...

> Tommy Fleetwood’s victory in Dubai came after he played at last week’s Sentry, meaning a journey of some 8,500 miles across 14 time zones. He didn’t arrive in Dubai until Tuesday night. ... This week the Latin America Amateur Championship takes place in Panama. The event, which is sponsored by Augusta National, the USGA and the R&A, offers spots in the Masters and British Open fields. ... Grayson Murray’s Sony victory means a trip to the Masters for the first time, as well as a spot in the remaining signature events this year.

> There are five players in the FedEx Cup 126 to 150 category who are taking advantage of a new exemption on the DP World Tour for up to five players in each full field event: MJ Daffue, Matthias Schwab, Kevin Tway, Dylan Frittelli and Kevin Chappell. ... LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann, who won the Australian Open, is also in the field where Rory McIlroy defends. ... The first round of the Masters is 87 days away.