Cut prediction: RBC Heritage

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NORTON, Mass. – Tiger Woods was left to rue a golden opportunity missed in the third round of the Dell Technologies Championship. Woods is eyeing an unprecedented third FedExCup title this season but he has to first make it to East Lake and the TOUR Championship to keep that dream alive. Starting this week at TPC Boston in 25th on the FedExCup standings Woods is not yet secure of staying in the top 30 after next week’s BMW Championship. But a high finish this week could secure that mark, taking the pressure off next week in Philadelphia. His third round 3-under 68 at TPC Boston moved him to 7 under and a tie for 16th… but it could have been so much better. Woods had been putting the ball well over the first two rounds but lost his mojo in Sunday’s third round, missing four putts inside eight feet he felt were makeable. He currently projects to 26th in the standings but had he made just two of those four close misses he’d be projecting to 19th with a round to play to go even deeper. As it stands Woods is now six shots off the lead held by Abraham Ancer. “I have to play well in order to make it to East Lake. I think before I teed off I looked at the board I’d already fallen six spots, and hadn’t teed off yet,â€� Woods said. “I did give myself quite a few looks today. And I pulled two putts that I can recall off the top of my head right now. That’s about it. “My speed was a little bit off. I was trying to be a little more aggressive today on the greens and trying to make sure that I gave it a good hit. I didn’t want to leave anything dying on the low side.â€� The 79-time PGA TOUR winner and FedExCup Champion in 2007 and 2009 will use Sunday to make up for the missed opportunity. His sights are still set on a comeback win, but the tournament within the tournament is also on his radar. “The points are very volatile,â€� Woods said. “You have a quick six or seven, if not nine holes of a good run, you can vault anywhere between 10 and 20 spots, it’s not that hard to do. “You get on one of those runs and move up the board. I’ve got to make a bunch of birdies, get off to a quick start and just get rolling early.â€� ANCER, HATTON EYE HUGE MOVES: Abraham Ancer figured he had nothing to lose at TPC Boston. Sitting 92nd in the FedExCup the only way into the top 70 to survive to the BMW Championship was with great golf. Fire up and play well or kiss the season goodbye. And fire up he has. The Mexican national will take a one-shot lead into the final round, with a win projecting him all the way to fifth place in the FedExCup. “I knew I had to play good this week, if not I was going to go home and relax. Either way is not a bad option,â€� Ancer said. “Obviously I want to keep on playing next week and obviously in Atlanta. But I don’t try to put much pressure on, more than I already have. So I just have to play good. I just go about my game plan and that’s it.â€� Sitting just one shot back in a tie for second is England’s Tyrrell Hatton. He started the week outside the bubble to advance to next week in 71st. Now he projects to 15th. SPIETH EYES TROPHY AND EAST LAKE: Sneaking up on the leaderboard is 2015 FedExCup champion Jordan Spieth. Having started the week at 33rd in the FedExCup standings his place in the BMW Championship is secured, but the TOUR Championship – where he has a win and a runner up finish – is not yet in the bag. A third round 3-under 68 moved Spieth to 9 under and a tie for eighth place. He sits just four back of Abraham Ancer in the chase for his first win this season. Right now he projects to 27th spot in the standings but Spieth is eyeing a much deeper move. “I’m not comfortable unless I’m inside the top-10 going to East Lake,â€� Spieth said. “The idea isn’t to get to East Lake, it’s to win the FedExCup. And I finally feel like my game is getting in a position where I can win and potentially claim the FedExCup.â€� PROJECTED IN / OUT After the third round at the Dell Technologies Championship, the following players are projected to surge their way from outside the top 70 into the survival zone for next week’s BMW Championship. Abraham Ancer (1): From 92nd to 5th Tyrrell Hatton (T2): From 71st to 15th C.T. Pan (T16): From 72nd to 60th Matt Kuchar (T16): From 74th to 62nd Brice Garnett (T12): From 81st to 63rd Keith Mitchell (T16): From 78th to 64th J.B. Holmes (T7): From 80th to 67th “Puts me in a great position to make it. I will glance at the projections, I won’t shy away from them. I’m looking forward to the chance tomorrow.â€� – Brice Garnett “I have a chance now tomorrow to move on. The goal is not just to make the BMW Championship, the goal is to make it all the way to Atlanta and make a run at the FedExCup.â€� – Matt Kuchar “I love the golf course next week and you always want to make the next round of the Playoffs to give yourself another chance. Hopefully I can go out there and continue to play well. No sense looking at the standings, all it will do is make you think about it more which isn’t good.â€� – J.B. Holmes. Those projecting to drop from the safe zone to an exit from the Playoffs: Ted Potter Jr. (T70): From 62nd to 71st Whee Kim (75): From 61st to 72nd Louis Oosthuizen (T40): From 69th to 74th Jason Kokrak (T50): From 66th to 75th Nick Watney (T60): From 67th to 76th Jimmy Walker (74): From 68th to 77th Kevin Streelman (MC): From 70th to 78th BIGGEST MOVERS Biggest projected movers through two rounds at TPC Boston Up 87 spots – Abraham Ancer (92 to 5) Up 56 spots – Tyrrell Hatton (71 to 15) Up 19 spots – Emiliano Grillo (48 to 29) BUBBLE BOYS Kevin Streelman is not officially eliminated, but it may just be a matter of time before his season ends. He started the week 70th in FedExCup points but missed the cut. Consequently, he’s opened the door for someone outside the top 70 to replace him. Currently, Ryan Moore is projected to finish 70th after starting the week in 60th. TOP 5 WATCH The top five players in FedExCup points after the BMW Championship will control their own destiny entering the TOUR Championship. A win at East Lake would guarantee any of the top five the FedExCup title. Here’s how the current Top Five fared in the third round of the Dell Technologies Championship. 1. Bryson DeChambeau (projected 1st) – Shot a blistering 8-under 63 to move to 12 under and just one off the lead chasing back-to-back wins. 2. Dustin Johnson (projected 2nd) – Shot a 1-over 72 to move to 4 under and a tie for 33rd. World No.1 spot under threat. 3. Justin Thomas (projected 4th) – Shot a 1-under 70 to move to 1 under and tie for 60th. 4. Tony Finau (projected 3rd) – Shot a 4-under 67 to move to 9 under and T8. Chasing a 10th Top-10 but first win. 5. Brooks Koepka (projected 6th) – Shot a 3-under 68 to move to 7 under, T16. Potential move to world No.1 on horizon. NOTE: Third-round leader Abraham Ancer is projected to move to No. 5. He started the week ranked a lowly 92.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Rickie Fowler called it a “little kick in the butt.” That’s because the popular PGA TOUR veteran will miss the FedExCup Playoffs this year after making an early exit on Friday at the Wyndham Championship. Fowler came to Sedgefield Country Club ranked 130th in the standings but ended up going backwards after rounds of 71 and 72. It’s the first time in Fowler’s 12-year TOUR career that he won’t finish inside the top 125. “It’s a bummer and I don’t want to be in this position,” Fowler said. “Never been here. I’m used to being in contention, ready to go to East Lake and go have some fun through the Playoffs. That’s not the case this year. … Go home and get ready to go. Put the work in and get after it.” With the exception of the news that he and his wife Allison are expecting their first child, a daughter, in November, it’s been an eminently forgettable year for Fowler. He’s only had one top-10 finish in 24 starts this season, and this is his ninth missed cut. Fowler, who was once firmly entrenched among the top-10 players in the world, has slipped from 38th to No. 110 and finds himself searching for regain his form. “Yeah, it sucks,” Fowler said. “I mean, I know what I’m capable of; I’ve been up there and played against the best in the world and been a top-5, top-10 player in the world for a number of years in my career. “I’m not in a position where I’m comfortable or where I want to be. … With the season ending now for me, it’s kind of just added motivation; hey, let’s figure out what we need to go do and let’s go do it.” A tie for eighth at the PGA Championship appeared to be a positive step, and Fowler followed that with a share of 11th at the Memorial Tournament. He came to Greensboro with some momentum, too, on the heels of three straight made cuts. “It’s not far off, but there’s a lack of confidence there after not having played well very much over the last two years, so part of it is just need to get that built back up,” Fowler said. “A big part of it, too, is the reason I had some of those good results is my ball-striking was a little bit better, but the putter finally got back to where it should be. “That’s been something I’ve been able to rely on throughout my career and growing up is I’ve always been a really good putter. Over the last couple years I haven’t been able to rely on that. Not that I should have to every week, but when I’m putting well, should be in contention and having chances to win tournaments. So having off ball-striking weeks and not making putts on top of that, miss cuts and go home early.” Fowler ranked 131st in Strokes Gained: Putting entering the Wyndham Championship. Fowler says missing the Playoffs has made him even more determined to regain the kind of form that landed him on three Presidents Cup and four Ryder Cup teams, as well as in the 2016 Olympic Games. The first step, he says, is a call with his team to figure out how to best use the three-week layoff during the Playoffs to his advantage. “I was telling (caddie) Joe (Skovron) out there today towards the end, obviously weren’t going to make the cut, so it was a little bit more like I operate best when I’m kind of told what to do,” Fowler said. “Like I love having my trainer, Derek, he’s there with us at home, on the road taking care of what I need to be doing in the gym. … If I had to go work out on my own, I probably wouldn’t do as well. “So just being efficient with time and taking advantage of the time that we do have, whether it’s in the gym, at the range, on the course. So that’s the big thing is just kind of lay out a plan that we all want to accomplish and take advantage of the time that we have and get after it.”

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