Rickie Fowler has made a late-season surge, finishing in far better form than he began. While he's reached some key milestones—like a last-minute top-50 finish in the FedEx Cup standings—he's aware that other goals, such as making the Ryder Cup team, are likely out of reach.Yet, Fowler hasn't completely ruled himself out of the Ryder Cup "conversation." Although he knows his chances are very limited, he's made clear that a strong showing at the BMW Championship could put him in the free-picks spotlight."That (the Ryder Cup) is still a long way out there," Fowler told the reporters at the Caves Valley Golf Club. "I need to play some good golf this week to extend my potential to sneak into even (being) in the conversation."Fowler's chances of making the Ryder Cup feel like a moonshot: ambitious, but highly unlikely. He is so far behind in the rankings that winning the BMW Championship would only put him around 15th place, which is far from a secure position for one of captain Keegan Bradley's free picks.Perhaps that's why Fowler is focusing on other goals. The six-time PGA Tour winner knows that his golf game hasn't been its best lately, so he's taking small steps in the right direction."Going into years, there's always -- you want to go win, get in contention," he said. "For me, that was general. A lot of it was just making cuts, getting in contention, going and playing tournaments and stringing together and kind of trying to build on things. Looking farther would be, yeah, top 50 was a goal. It got a little closer than I would have liked to have been in a comfortable spot."A FedEx Cup top-50 finish is a tremendously important result. Not only does it allow him to play in the BMW Championship and guarantee his PGA Tour card for next season, but it also gives him a spot in the field at all of next year's Signature Events.This, in turn, allows him more leeway in his schedule, which translates into the possibility of more rest in the fall."That secures a lot of things for me next year, so going back to the fall, I'm not sure what or how much I'll do," he said. "I would love to go play a bunch, but I need to work on the body side of it first to make sure I can go play a bunch next year."Fowler has played in 20 tournaments this season, with eight top-25 finishes, including two top-10s. His best finish of the year came just last week, finishing tied for sixth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first tournament of the FedEx Cup playoffs.More Golf: Scottie Scheffler's Caddie Won't Be Back for BMW Championship