The second year of Aon Next 10 and Swing 5 is currently underway with the conclusion of the Sony Open in Hawaii. These rankings help round out the season's elite, 72-person signature event field. Remember, the top 50 players from the previous year's FedEx Cup rankings are eligible to participate in these eight prestigious tournaments. This leaves about 20 slots available.
If you're unfamiliar or need a refresher, here's how Aon Next 10 and Swing 5 work.
Next 10 will see the best 10 players of the season earn entry into the signature event field. This ranks the top 10 FedEx Cup point earners who are not exempt from these high-profile tournaments. As the new season has just begun, the top 10 finishers from the FedEx Cup Fall will make up the Aon Next 10, the first of the season's first two signature events.
Swing 5, on the other hand, identifies players with the best form. There are typically two or three full-field events between Signature Events, and from those series of tournaments, the five best players earn an invitation to the Signature Event via Swing 5. That means the top five will get points after the season-opening sentry at Kapalua. – The combined winners of the Sony Open in Hawaii, American Express in Palm Springs and Farmers Insurance Open in Torrey Pines will qualify for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The second signature event of the season.
Here's how. Current Aon Swing 5 Standings We're currently focusing on Nick Taylor's impressive playoff win in Honolulu:
1. JJ Spahn — 162.5 points
T2. Patrick Fishburne — 88.75
T2. Adam Schenk — 88.75
T2. Jackson Suber — 88.75
T5. Harry Hall — 63.67
T5. Lee Hodges — 63.67
T5. Paul Peterson — 63.67
T5. Jesper Svensson — 63.67
Swing 5 Predicted Cutoff Line
T9. Webb Simpson — 49 points
T9. Alex Smalley — 49
T9. Gary Woodland — 49
T12. Lucas Glover — 35.83
T12. Mark Hubbard — 35.83
T12. Zach Johnson — 35.83
T12. Matt Kuchar — 35.83
After the Sony Open in Hawaii, JJ Spaun gained a significant advantage over other players with the Aon Swing 5. It's a nice consolation prize considering it was a wasted chance to win.
Spawn entered the final round at 13 under par with a one-stroke lead. He got off to a strong start with three birdies on the front nine, jumping to a total of 16 under par and winning. It seemed like no one could catch him heading into the back nine, but that wasn't the case. Spaun stalled on the backside of Waialae and was unable to convert a series of birdie opportunities. Instead, after making seven consecutive pars, he hit an unforgivable bogey on the par-3 17th. The pressure of leading the PGA Tour event was on him, and on the 17th he hit a poor sand shot in a greenside bunker that fell 15 feet short of the hole. What was supposed to be the usual ups and downs turned into a bogey, dropping him to 15 under.
However, Taylor chipped in on the 18th hole for eagle and moved up to 16 under after 72 holes, tied with Nico Echavarria. Spawn needed a birdie on the par-5 18th (a tough right-to-left dogleg) to qualify for the playoffs, but he ended up hitting his 3-wood into a tree to the left of the fairway bunker.
“I hit a 3-wood.” [on 18] Every day,” Spaun said.
“I can't pull the driver to save my life, so it's a 3-wood all day on that hole.”
The second shot flew to an unstable position on the right front of the putting surface, but I was unable to get it up or down. His 10-foot birdie slid away on the high side.
Despite this, Spawn remained positive after the round.
“Overall it was a great week and I’m proud of the fact that we fought all day,” Spawn said.
“Good luck with Stefan.” [Jaeger] and Nico [Echavarria] and nick [Taylor] to apply pressure. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned in the end. You know, it is what it is. We hope to use this momentum to expand into other parts of the West Coast. ”
If Spawn can continue posting top-10 finishes at the American Express and Farmers Insurance Opens, or at least qualify, he could be key to making it to Pebble Beach in the first signature event of the season. There, he could earn a lot of cash and FedEx Cup points, which would go a long way toward securing his status for the 2026 season. Just 100 players will receive PGA Tour cards next year, a new development as part of a series of sweeping changes being implemented by the board. That makes all these events even more important, especially for Aon Swing 5 players who are not exempt from participating in the Signature Event field.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
