Fall grind pays big dividends for Maverick McNealy, others

While most of the elite golfers in the world have been taking extended time off this fall or playing a few big events on the DP World Tour, Maverick McNealy has been among those grinding on the FedEx Cup Fall slate.

The 29-year-old played seven of the eight events, spanning the United States, Japan, Mexico and Bermuda.

He might be exhausted, but McNealy was rewarded handsomly for his efforts. In addition to claiming his maiden PGA Tour victory at the season-ending The RSM Classic on Sunday, McNealy claimed the top spot on the Aon Next 10.

That means along with the $1.4 million winner's check and a two-year PGA Tour exemption, the former Stanford star also secured a spot in the Masters, The Players and the first three signature events of 2025.

"Masters? That's pretty cool, that will be fun," McNealy said when told what Sunday's victory earned him for next year. "I've played (Augusta National) twice, but never been there for the tournament."

All players in the Aon Next 10 earned spots into the first two signature events next year at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational.

AON NEXT 10

No. 51 Maverick McNealy

No. 52 Mackenzie Hughes

No. 53 Patrick Rodgers

No. 54 Nico Echavarria

No. 55 Harris English

No. 56 Seamus Power

No. 57 Ben Griffin

No. 58 Kevin Yu

No. 59 Tom Kim

No. 60 Nick Taylor

Yu was the only player to move into the Aon Next 10 following the season-ending event, bumping Justin Rose from No. 60 to No. 62. Yu was among three players who moved into the top 60 during the course of the fall, along with Echavarria (started No. 108) and Griffin (started No. 61).

Those 10 will join the top 50 as automatic qualifiers for the first two limited-event fields with increased prize money in 2025.

There were multiple layers of