2025 Fortinet Cup Week 5: Resilient JM Butler claims top spot

The 2025 PGA TOUR Americas season has been quite a battle for John Marshall Butler. He seemed to be cruising to victory at the season-opening event in Cordoba, Argentina, where he took a five-shot lead into the final round and then birdied holes 2 and 3 to extend the lead even more. What followed was a tough final stretch, as he stumbled to an 8-over 79, making eight bogeys and a double-bogey, to finish in a tie for 13th. It hurt badly but ultimately became a turning point.

“(Cordoba) was a great learning experience… It was painful, it still stings, but maybe without it, I don't win this tournament,” reflected the 23-year-old while holding the Bupa Championship trophy this past Sunday in Mexico City. “I just had to go back to the drawing board, look at my swing mechanics, and talk to my instructor, Hank (Haney), about it. We figured it out, and I've been hitting the ball great since.”

Getting back in position to win again was not easy, as some health issues got in the way over the next few weeks. In late April, in Quito, Ecuador, he ended up in the ER with food poisoning but still managed to tee it up for his only missed cut of the season. The following week, an impressive Sunday 64 got him back on track for a tie for third at the Diners Club Peru Open. It moved him to 12th in the Fortinet Cup standings.

Then came Mexico City, where he got sick again and had a rough night on the eve of the Bupa Championship. He could have easily withdrawn from the tournament, but he fought his way to the tee. “It was wild. I teed off on Thursday feeling horrible, thinking that maybe if I could just get through the first 18 at even par or something, I'd have a chance to make the weekend,” he said of an opening round in which he surpassed his expectations, with girlfriend Demi as his caddie.

With the help of some last-minute medicine, he managed to feel like himself again about an hour into the round and fired a tournament-leading 8-under 64. Butler kept himself in contention the rest of the way and made the most of his chances late in the final round, which he entered trailing by two in solo third. By birdieing three of the last five holes — two tough par-3s at 14 and 16, plus the par-5 17 — he locked up his first victory as a professional.

“To finally get it done, it's such a great feeling. I'm just going to continue to do what I've been doing and try to get better every day,” said the former Auburn Tiger after a win that improved his season point total to 735, vaulting him to the top of the Fortinet Cup standings with only one event left to play in Latin America.

“My goal is to secure the Korn Ferry Tour card after Colombia,” he said, referring to the fact that the top two players through the six-event Latin America Swing will earn conditional status for the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. “I’m going to go to Colombia to do my best and see what happens. If it’s God’s plan for me, great, and if it’s not, I’ll just keep battling, keep trying to get better, and be the best version of myself.”

Here’s a look at the top 10 players in the Fortinet Cup standings through five events in the 16-tournament season:

1. John Marshall Butler – 735 pts

He followed a T3 in Peru with a win in Mexico City to open a 149-point lead atop the Fortinet Cup Points List. He leads the Tour in total birdies (90), co-leads in total eagles (7), and ranks third in scoring average (68.56).

2. Ryan Grider – 586 pts

Atop the standings since his playoff win at the season opener in Cordoba, Argentina, the 26-year-old from Lewisville, Texas, has now missed two consecutive cuts.

3. Maxwell Moldovan – 583 pts

He bounced back from a missed cut in Peru with a T45 finish in Mexico City. Although it only earned him 10 Fortinet Cup points, it was just enough to hold onto third in the standings. He is only 0.25 points ahead of Jay Card.

4. Jay Card III – 583 pts

Following his victory at the Kia Open in Quito, Ecuador, a couple of tough rounds have kept him out of the weekend in his last two starts — an opening 76 in Peru and a second-round 77 in Mexico City.

5. Hunter Wolcott – 556 pts

Coming off a win at the Diners Club Peru Open, he recorded his second top-25 finish of the season with a T22 at the Bupa Championship.

6. Michael Brennan – 534 pts

He ran out of holes while making a strong Sunday charge. His birdie-birdie finish led to a final-round-low 65 and a tie for third, moving him from eighth to sixth in the standings. It was his third top-4 of the year and his fourth top-10 in five starts. His scoring average improved to 68.00, with a Tour-high 16 rounds in the 60s (out of 19).

7. Vicente Marzilio – 452 pts

A runner-up finish in Mexico City propelled him into the Fortinet Cup top 10 for the first time. He has now posted two top-4 finishes in his last three starts — an impressive run for a guy who played his last round as an amateur on January 17 and entered the season playing Mondays because he didn’t have status.

8. David Perkins – 450 pts

The consistent 26-year-old from East Peoria, Illinois, had a slow week in Mexico, where he withdrew from the Bupa Championship due to sickness after the opening round. Still, a strong record of four top-20s — including a runner-up finish in Peru — keeps him among the Tour’s best players.

9. Brett White – 411 pts

White remained a steady contender in his second week inside the Fortinet Cup top 10. The T7 finish in Mexico City, where he was T2 through 36 holes, was his fourth top-10 in as many starts this season. His scoring average of 67.93 is the best on Tour.

10. Ricardo Celia – 402 pts

His strong streak of four consecutive top-20 finishes was snapped in Mexico City, where he tried to bounce back from an opening 75. A second-round 68 wasn’t quite enough, and he missed the cut by two shots.

Next Stop:

The Fortinet Cup continues at the Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship, May 22–25, at Club El Rincon de Cajica in Bogota, Colombia. This tournament will mark the end of the 2025 Latin America Swing, with the top 60 players in the Fortinet Cup standings locking up exempt status for the North America Swing.