FedExCupDate: Nick Watney makes a big move up the standings
The FedEx Cup is here, and throughout the playoffs we'll be providing you with up-to-the-second updates of all the action! (OK, maybe not that fast. You don't want us yelling in your ear.) Now, only 100 players remain, and after TPC Boston, only 70 will still be in the mix. Who's in danger of missing the cut, and who's already booked a ticket to Atlanta? Read on and see ...
At the top: It didn't Nick Watney long to fly up the standings. His win at The Barclays vaulted him from 49th to the No. 1 spot in the FedExCup. Brandt Snedeker also made a sizable move, thanks to his second-place finish; he went from 17th to second. The big weeks from Watney and Snedeker knocked Tiger Woods (now No. 3), Rory McIlroy (No. 4) and Zach Johnson (No.5) down a spot in the rankings. That's a solid quintet through the first phase of the playoffs.
On the way up: Dustin Johnson's T-3 saw him go from 26th to 8th after one event. Sergio Garcia failed to win his second straight event, but his T-3 was good enough to move him up 23 spots from 33rd to 10th and into contention for the $10 million. The only problem? He's taking a week off to relax, so he'll have some work to do next week at the BMW Championship. Also, don't forget about Lee Westwood! He went from 51st to 27th. We'd tout him as a possible contender, but he never plays will in big events*.
[Related: Five things we learned from The Barclays]
On the decline: Hunter Mahan's been on a decline for much of the second half of the season. So is it any surprise that he slid from 6th to 12th in the standings? It shouldn't be. He has one week to make an impression on Davis Love III before "Captain America" announces his four captain's pick. Pick up your game, Hunter! Webb Simpson slid seven spots from 13th to 20th. Also, if you're wondering who had the biggest fall at Bethpage, that would be Jeff "Boom, Baby!" Overton, who plummeted 25 spots from 58th to 83rd.
On the bubble: Only the top 70 remain after this weekend, which means names like Martin Flores (100th in the standings), Daniel Summerhays (99th), K.J. Choi (95th), Rory Sabbatini (94th), and David Toms (89th) better bring it this week if they want to hang around FedExCup Island.
Out the door: We said so-long to twenty-five players at the end of The Barclays. Some of the notable names included Davis Love III, Andres Romero, Robert Allenby, Jeff Maggert and Jerry Kelly. Take a couple weeks off and then get ready for the Fall Series, gentlemen!
(* - We're still smarting from picking him to win a major on three different occasions this year.)
All right, your turn. Who's your pick to take the championship at East Lake?
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