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Here’s what you missed from Round 2 of the Northern Trust

August 9, 2019

The FedEx Cup playoffs will come to an abrupt end for many players who failed to make the cut after Round 2 at the Northern Trust. So who’s in and who’s out?

Here’s everything you missed from Friday’s action at Liberty National.

Tiger Woods WDed

In a huge blow for fans of the Big Cat, Tiger Woods WDed from the Northern Trust prior to starting his second round on Friday.

Woods released a statement via the PGA Tour which explained he had suffered a “mild oblique strain that led to pain and stiffness.”

The WD means Tiger will fall outside of the Top 30 in the FedEx Cup rankings, putting his defense at East Lake in jeopardy unless he has a solid performance at next week’s BMW Championship.

Dustin Johnson's last Tour event was August's Tour Championship. He had knee surgery in early September.
Dustin Johnson's last Tour event was August's Tour Championship. He had knee surgery in early September.
USA Today Sports

Dustin Johnson leads

DJ followed up a first-round 63 with a second-round 67 to take a one-shot lead on Friday at Liberty National. The 35-year-old birdied three of his last six holes to take over the top position on the leaderboard from a resurgent Jordan Spieth, who shot 64 on Friday to get to 11 under par overall.

Johnson is now 12 under through 36 holes and is seeking his 21st career Tour victory, and his second of 2019. DJ has won four FedEx Cup Playoff events over the course of his career, including two Northern Trusts (2011 and 2017).

Johnson came into the Playoffs at No. 7 in the standings, but a win would launch him to No. 1. DJ has yet to win a FedEx Cup title.

Spieth, Reed and Rahm are in the hunt

Jordan Spieth shot a sizzling 64 in Round 2 to sit in solo second on the leaderboard. The 26-year-old made eight birdies and one bogey, and a good finish this weekend could make a big impact on his season.

Spieth entered the Northern Trust at 69th in the standings. A runner-up finish is currently projected to push him all the way to No. 9.

Patrick Reed and Jon Rahm are two shots back at 10 under par overall, while Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy are three shots back at nine under.

Who missed the cut and what does it mean?

Missing the cut this week has a brutal effect on a player’s prospects for the remainder of the FedEx Cup playoffs, but it doesn’t always completely kill them.

Adam Long, for example, missed the cut with rounds of 72-75, which is currently projected to drop him 10 spots in the FedEx Cup standings, from 55 to 65. That’s still within the qualifying confines of next week’s BMW Championship, which welcomes the top 70 in the standings.

Sergio Garcia is not so lucky. After firing back-t0-back rounds of 73 to also finish nowhere near the cutline, he’s currently projected to fall from an already precarious standing of 65th to 71st, which is just outside the cutoff for next week. Ouch.

Bubba Watson was already on the bubble at No. 71 in the standings coming into the Northern Trust, and his missed cut is projected to drop him to No. 80, which effectively ends his season.

Marc Leishman and Matt Kuchar also missed the cut, but the pain is mitigated by their season of great play. Kuchar is projected to drop from No. 3 to No. 5, while Leishman will drop three spots, from No. 12 to No. 15.

Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day are in a similar boat, dropping from No. 4 to No. 9, No. 13 to No. 17 and No. 40 to No. 51, respectively.

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