Hideki Matsuyama started the FedEx Cup Playoffs with a win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which catapulted him to third place in the overall playoff standings.

Matsuyama finished his rollercoaster final round with a two-stroke lead over Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland.

While Matsuyama’s jump from eighth to third in the FedEx Cup standings was pleasing, there were other, more significant climbers who kept their seasons alive in Memphis.

Matsuyama’s playing partner on Sunday, Nick Dunlap, was one of two golfers to move up more than 15 spots in the playoff rankings and into the top 50 by finishing in the top five. The other was Viktor Hovland.

Dunlap, Hovland and Erik Cole made it from outside the top 50 to the cut line and thus make it into next week’s BMW Championship.

Updated FedEx Cup standings

1. Scottie Scheffler – 6,532 points

2. Xander Schauffele – 5,037

3. Hideki Matsuyama – 3,898

4. Collin Morikawa – 2,595

8. Sahith Theegala – 2,076

9. Patrick Cantlay – 2,016

With his win, Matsuyama moved closer to Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele at the top of the FedEx Cup standings, but the two leaders still have a significant lead over the rest of the field.

Scheffler scored 540 points in Memphis, while Schauffele increased his season haul by 980 points.

With his 2,000-point win, Matsuyama is now within 1,200 points of Schauffele, but 2,700 points behind Scheffler.

This means that Schauffele is the only golfer who can catch Scheffler by the end of the BMW Championship next week.

The winners of each of the three FedEx Cup Playoff events will receive 2,000 points, so as long as Scheffler continues to finish in the top 10, it will be incredibly difficult for anyone other than Schauffele to beat him.

The remaining spots in the FedEx Cup rankings have different prize money, so there is still a lot to be won over the next two weeks.

The main focus of next week’s BMW Championship will be on the golfers ranked 31st to 50th. Only the top 30 players qualify for the Tour Championship.

Tommy Fleetwood joins the BMW in 31st place after Denny McCarthy moved up 15 places to 30th.

Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Corey Conners, Adam Scott and Max Homa are among the golfers who need a strong week at Castle Pines Country Club in Colorado to make it to the Tour Championship.

The movement within the top 30 will also be notable, as the Tour Championship begins with a staggered start. The top golfer in the FedEx Cup rankings will start at 10 under par in two weeks, while golfers ranked 26th through 30th will start at one under par.