Round 2: Wyndham Championship

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

Defending champion Arjun Atwal, Matt Jones, David Mathis and Cameron Beckman were among the players who missed the cut at the Wyndham Championship on Friday.

All four are projected to drop out of the top 125 in the FedExCup standings, as well. So they’ll have to wait until the Wyndham Championship concludes on Sunday afternoon to see whether they are headed into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

Only the top 125 are eligible to play in the kickoff at The Barclays next week. Atwal dropped six spots to No. 126 in the projected standings while Jones, Mathis and Beckman lost seven and are currently projected at Nos. 129, 130 and 131, respectively.

Of course, a lot can happen over the next two days at Sedgefield, as well as in the Playoffs themselves.

Just ask Heath Slocum, who missed the cut in Greensboro in 2009 and spent an anxious Sunday wondering whether he would even get to play the following week at Liberty National. He ended up finishing No. 124 in the final standings, two spots ahead of Jones at No. 126 — and then Slocum went on to win The Barclays and finish eighth overall in the FedExCup.

Making the cut on Friday was key to controlling your own destiny. That’s what Padraig Harrington can do now after playing his final 14 holes in 4 under to make the cut on the number. He’s still projected at No. 133 in the FedExCup standings, but at least he has two more rounds to make a positive move.

"I probably am out of the tournament in many ways, the FedExCup to try for," Harrington said. "Look at the order of names, everybody around me seems to be in the same position with me. … Obviously, I’m going to have a good weekend in order to get through."

HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

TOMMY GAINEY: He wasn’t in any danger of missing the Playoffs, which he will be competing in for the first time. But if Gainey can go on to make the Wyndham Championship his first PGA TOUR victory, he could jump 26 spots to No. 14 — and virtually assure himself of a spot in all four Playoffs events in the process.

CAMILO VILLEGAS: He came into the week as the bubble boy, ranked No. 125 and just .437 of a point ahead of Ernie Els. But the Colombian made a big move toward Playoffs security when he fired a 64 Friday that moved him into a tie at 6 under — and up eight spots in the projected FedExCup standings. "I needed to make the cut," he said. "First things first. … We’ll come back tomorrow and we’ll keep grinding."

ERNIE ELS: The Big Easy added Greensboro to his schedule late last week after a disappointing season devoid of any top-10 finishes. He’s in good position for one — and maybe even a victory — after a 66 on Friday left him tied for second. That’s created a big move in the FedExCup standings, too, as Els is projected at No. 88, a jump of 38 spots.

"I’ve got quite a large goal for me this week and I’m feeling like fine, my game is turning around a little bit and I like the course," said Els, who went into last year’s Playoffs ranked No. 1. "Obviously you have to make a lot of birdies to keep up with the pace but I feel I’m up for it and, you know, enjoying North Carolina."

HEADED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

MATT JONES: The Australian has been there before — finishing 127th in the FedExCup in 2008 and 126th in 2009. Jones finally made the Playoffs last year, advancing all the way to the BMW Championship but he’s on the outside looking in through two rounds of the Wyndham Championship. Jones, who finished 36 holes at 2 under, has fallen to No. 129.

ARJUN ATWAL: Atwal, who flirted with the magical 59 on the way to his first PGA TOUR victory a year ago, couldn’t break par in his title defense. He shot 73-72 to miss the cut for the ninth time this season and fifth time in his last seven starts. He’s still hoping for his first Playoffs appearance but he’ll be watching what happens this weekend with great interest.

CAMERON BECKMAN: The Texan has made the Playoffs each of the last two years, bowing out after The Barclays each time. His 69 on Friday, though, wasn’t enough to keep him around for the weekend and he’s likely out of the Playoffs, as a result. That’s because Ernie Els started the week ranked No. 126 in the FedExCup and only needed five points to overtake Beckman. And that translates into a finish of 66th or higher – and Els is currently tied for second in the Wyndham Championship.