Tiger Woods still has some time to save a wasted year

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – A week ago, Harold Varner III busted the bubble and made the top 125 advancing to the FedExCup Playoffs. Now he’s projected to do the same thing again with 18 holes left at THE NORTHERN TRUST. The situations seem the same. But they really aren’t. And neither is Varner’s mindset. “Last week was a little different,â€� he said. “My job was on the line. Now that we’re here, we can, not so much attack it but you can kind of let it go.â€� When he started the Wyndham Championship, he was 138th in points. But his tie for 10th – his only top-10 finish thus far this season — moved him to 123rd and secured his PGA TOUR card for next season. Now his goal is to keep advancing in the Playoffs and perhaps make the improbable push for a spot in the TOUR Championship. No player outside the top 70 at the start of the Playoffs has ever made it to East Lake, but Varner is in position to at least take the next step to TPC Boston. His 1-over 71 on Saturday leaves him at 2 under for the tournament and tied for 22nd. He currently is one of four players projected to bust the bubble, moving to 95th if he holds his position. He would reach the Dell Technologies Championship for the second straight year if he handles his business on Sunday. “It’s insane,â€� Varner said. “I have a great opportunity now and I’m just really excited about it.â€� He might even be excited enough to check out the FedExCup rankings on a regular basis. “My rookie year, I looked at it all the time and I played well,â€� Varner said of last season, when he had four top-10 finishes. “This year, I didn’t look at all. Maybe I should start looking at it more often.â€� BUBBLE WATCH Here are the players who are projected to move inside the top 100 that will advance to next week’s Dell Technologies Championship, along with the players who are projected to fall out. QUOTE OF THE DAY Last week I was clearly obsessed with the line but this week I’m trying not to be. Every bite of the cherry you get the more chances you obviously have to get to East Lake. Hopefully tomorrow is not my last bite of cherry. TOP 5 WATCH The Top 5 players entering the TOUR Championship will control their own destiny at East Lake. Here’s a look at how the current top 5 fared Saturday at THE NORTHERN TRUST. 1. Hideki Matsuyama (CUT). Sitting at home after missing the cut. Projected to drop to fourth. 2. Justin Thomas (69). Just couldn’t get anything significant going throughout the day and is 4 under and tied for 10th. Projected to fall to third. 3. Jordan Spieth (64). A 31 on the back nine to streak ahead of the pack and set up a three-shot lead at the top. Projected to first. 4. Dustin Johnson (67). Was leading to start the round but saw Spieth blitz past. Still, he’s alone in second at 9 under. He’ll move into first with a win but projected to second right now. 5. Rickie Fowler (74). Started the day tied for the lead and with big hopes. Then made bogeys on five of his first six holes on Saturday to tumble down the leaderboard. Ended the round at 2 under and tied 22nd. Projects to sixth. FEDEXCUP NOTES Seven players start Sunday projected to be eliminated from where they sit on the leaderboard. Scott Stallings and Ryan Blaum are currently projected to be just a stroke short of the position they need, giving them every chance to gain a stay of execution. It will be a tougher ask for Vaughn Taylor, who currently projects to be eight shots back of what he needs to advance. The new man currently projected inside the top 5 on the FedExCup list is Jon Rahm. Sitting in a tie for third at 7 under, Rahm projects to fifth on the standings. “I try not to think about it too much. I just try to focus on my game like I’ve been doing till now,â€� he said. “Certainly the closer we get to East Lake, I know the pressure is going to pile up and the more important it’s going to be. Hopefully I can get in that top-5 spot going into East Lake and be a little less stressed.â€� Patrick Reed (38 to 15), Justin Rose (32 to 20), Keegan Bradley (46 to 26), and Louis Oosthuizen (35 to 27) are players currently projected to move inside the top 30 of the FedExCup standings. While the Dell Technologies Championship and BMW Championship are still to be played, the top 30 make it to the TOUR Championship.

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Viktor Hovland closed with a 4-under 67 for a four-shot victory in the World Wide Technology Championship, making him the first repeat winner since Mayakoba began in 2007.

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AVONDALE, La – A small tweak in the format of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans looks set to ensure some Sunday fireworks at TPC Louisiana. While last year teams played alternate shot Foursomes on Thursday and Saturday and Four-ball on Friday and Sunday the order will be flipped this time around. The end result means the volatile Foursomes on Sunday will open up multiple possibilities for winning teams. With only one ball in play per team the potential for mistakes is heightened as is the value for a low round. It will likely lessen the chance of a leading team running away with the tournament. It will also ensure a swift pace of play on Sunday helping any possible playoff scenario. If a sudden death playoff is needed – as it was last year between eventual champions Cameron Smith and Jonas Blixt and Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown – the teams will switch between alternate shot and Four-ball each hole as required. “We’re pretty excited about the changes in the format,â€� Jordan Spieth said. “You can lead, four or five behind, and certainly still be in it in an alternate shot format, but in best ball it’s probably too difficult to overcome.â€� Spieth partnered with fellow Texan Ryan Palmer last year to finish fourth, unable to reel in the leaders Sunday despite a 64 to finish. The pair return this year ready to make amends with Spieth expecting the final three holes to produce plenty of excitement. TPC Louisiana finishes with a short 355-yard par-4, a testing 215-yard par-3 and then a par-5 18th. All three holes have water in play. “There’s a birdie opportunity on 16 and then 17, in alternate shot, when you feel like you have that extra pressure of a teammate you are playing for… that will certainly add to that shot on Sunday if you are in contention,â€� Spieth continued. “Playing 18 there is an opportunity for eagle but hazards on the hole as well. You can come back from three down with three to go in alternate shot just like that out here.â€� David Duval, who will take a break from his regular Golf Channel analysis to make a rare playing appearance with Jim Furyk, believes the switch will certainly bring excitement to the fans on site and at home. “It will be a lot more of a hold-on as opposed to a catch-up,â€� he said. William McGirt, playing with local favorite Sam Burns, hopes to be one of those teams in the mix on Sunday. The former Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance champion feels like tactics will prove pivotal this year. “You can really hit a stretch where you don’t hit a putt for five or six holes depending on how you’re playing so I think there will be a lot more strategy involved,â€� McGirt said of Sunday’s final round. “You really have to think it through as to who is going to tee off on what holes. “I think it’ll make for some good TV on Sunday, because you’re not necessarily going to have a group that’s in the last two or three groups of the day with a good chance to win.â€� Jason Day, who will partner with countryman Ryan Ruffels after missing the cut with Rickie Fowler last year, was also welcoming of the change. For Day it was more about the opening round and playing his own ball from the start. “It gives you a chance to feel your way into the tournament a little, although you will still need to get away to a good start,â€� Day said. “Whichever way it is you need to just play good golf.â€�  

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