FedExCup update: Keegan Bradley eyes return to TOUR Championship

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. –  We’ve already witnessed one former anchorer have a career resurgence. Now Keegan Bradley is trying to follow in his footsteps. Webb Simpson qualified for last season’s TOUR Championship after a two-year absence from East Lake, then won this year’s THE PLAYERS Championship for his first victory in more than four years. Bradley is in position for his first TOUR Championship berth in five years after a strong start to the BMW Championship. He opened with rounds of 66-64 at Aronimink and is in third place, just three shots behind leader Xander Schauffele. “The opportunity is right in front of me. I have to go take it,â€� Bradley said. “That’s what’s great about the FedExCup Playoffs.â€� He is projected to leap from 52nd to 28th in the FedExCup standings if he can maintain his position on the leaderboard. The PGA TOUR’s projections estimate that he needs a fifth-place finish to advance to East Lake for the first time in five years. Bradley made it to the TOUR Championship in each of his first three seasons (2011-13) but hasn’t been back since. He hasn’t won since the 2012 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Bradley, who has four top-10s this season, is still an elite ball-striker. He leads the TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green. The putter often determines his fate, though. He’s 186th in Strokes Gained: Putting this season. He’s had multiple opportunities in the Playoffs to leap up the FedExCup standings. After shooting 62 in the third round at Ridgewood, Bradley played alongside Bryson DeChambeau in THE NORTHERN TRUST’s final group. Bradley fired 78 on Sunday to drop into 34th place, though. Last week, in his native Massachusetts, he shot 67-69 to sit in the top 10 at the halfway point of the Dell Technologies Championship. He didn’t break par in either of the final two rounds, though, and fell to 49th. “I’m excited for the opportunity again. I put myself here now the last couple of weeks, it’s time to go out and play well,â€� he said. Bradley ranks 10th in both Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green and Strokes Gained: Putting this week. He holed a 38-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole in the first round and sank four putts from outside 10 feet today. “This course rewards good ball striking,â€� he said. “That’s what I’ve been doing all year. I mix in some good putting and here I am 10 under. That’s the key.â€� BIG NAMES ON THE BUBBLE Jordan Spieth may need a good weekend if he wants to avoid missing the TOUR Championship for the first time in his career. Spieth, the 2015 FedExCup champion, is 32nd in the projected standings. He’s fallen five spots since the start of the week because of a poor start at Aronimink. While he watched playing partners Tiger Woods (62-70) and Rickie Fowler (65-65) go low, Spieth has struggled with his putting. Spieth shot 67-71 and is tied for 48th place. Spieth is 95 points behind No. 30 Gary Woodland in the projected FedExCup standings. He was 0 for 3 on putts from 5-10 feet on Friday, losing 2.75 strokes on the greens in the BMW’s second round. This was his third-worst performance in Strokes Gained: Putting of the season. In 10 rounds spanning from the weekend of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational through THE NORTHERN TRUST, Spieth gained strokes with his putting nine times. He’s had a negative Strokes Gained: Putting in four of his past six rounds, though. Spieth made three birdies Friday, but also had two bogeys and a double. He played Nos. 11 and 12 in 3 over after pulling his tee shot left of the fairway on both par-4s. Marc Leishman was fourth in the FedExCup standings when he arrived at East Lake on the heels of last year’s win in the BMW Championship. Now he’s on the dreaded 31st position in the standings. He’s in 62nd place in the 69-man BMW field after shooting even par over the first 36 holes. He shot 74 on Thursday and opened Friday’s round with nine consecutive pars. He shot 31 on his final nine holes, though. Five of the top six names on the leaderboard were behind Leishman in the FedExCup standings at the start of the week, so he will move up if any of them slide down the leaderboard on the weekend. Leishman is just 16 points behind Woodland in the projected standings. MOVING IN/OUT After the second round of the BMW Championship, the following players are projected to move into the top 30 in the FedExCup standings and qualify for the season-ending TOUR Championship. Xander Schauffele (1st): From 41st to 6th Alex Noren (T3): From 50th to 25th Keegan Bradley (T3): From 52nd to 28th These are the players projected to fall out of the top 30. Marc Leishman (T62): From 22nd to 31st Jordan Spieth (T48): From 27th to 32nd Emiliano Grillo (T38): From 29th to 33rd BIGGEST MOVERS Biggest moves made in the projected FedExCup standings after the second round of the BMW Championship. Up 35 spots: Xander Schauffele (From 41 to 6) Up 25 spots: Alex Noren (From 50 to 25) Up 24 spots: Keegan Bradley (From 52 to 28) BUBBLE BOYS Gary Woodland, winner of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, started this week clinging to the final berth in the TOUR Championship. After opening with consecutive 66s, Woodland still holds onto the 30th spot in the projected standings. He is in 12th place, five shots behind leader Xander Schauffele. Woodland is 16 points ahead of No. 31 Marc Leishman in the projected standings. 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 Friday: 1. Bryson DeChambeau (still 1st): After winning the first two events of the FedExCup Playoffs, DeChambeau is guaranteed to take the top spot into East Lake. He is in 38th place after shooting 67-70 in the first two rounds at Aronimink. 2. Dustin Johnson (now 5th): Johnson, winner of three events this season, is clinging to the fifth and final spot in the projected standings. He moved up one spot in the projected standings after shooting 68 on Friday. He is in 48th place at Aronimink, though. 3. Justin Rose (now 2nd): Rose, who won the 2010 Quicken Loans National at Aronimink, played like someone with good memories at this week’s venue. He shot 63 to move into second place, just two shots behind Schauffele. 4. Tony Finau (still 4th): Finau jumped 18 spots on the leaderboard with a 6-under 64 on Friday. He is 8 under par. 5. Justin Thomas (now 3rd): The reigning FedExCup champion has a good chance to remain in the top 5 entering East Lake after getting off to a solid start at Aronimink. He followed Thursday’s 64 with a 67. He’s in seventh place, four shots off the lead.

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