Jason Day and Adam Scott tied for fourth at The Barclays this morning, but it wasn’t enough to send them down the FedEx Cup playoff standings.
The Australian pair entered the US PGA Tour’s playoff series in first and third respectively, but when Patrick Reed opened the month-long race to the Tour Championship in winning style, he knocked them both down a rung.
Reed not only ensured himself a berth in the American Ryder Cup team, his fifth career PGA Tour victory also rocketed him from seventh to first in the FedEx standings that heavily weigh in favour of playoff performances.
The Texan wobbled a bit in the closing holes, but did enough early to hang on for a one-under-par 70 on the brutal Bethpage Black course in New York to seal a one-shot victory at nine under.
Sean O’Hair leapt almost 100 places in the FedEx Cup rankings with his closing 66 enough for a T2 finish alongside emerging Argentine Emiliano Grillo (69).
Scott (71) missed a golden chance to join them at eight under when he missed a short birdie putt on the last, but his seven-under finish was enough to share fourth with Gary Woodland (69) and Day, whose 69 was highlighted by a spectacular, curling 22m birdie bomb on the 15th.
A third Queenslander, John Senden, was the only other Aussie to make the cut and finished with a 68 to finish even par and T31.
Senden did enough to move from 99th to 80th and secure a start in this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship, where he will be joined by Victorians Aaron Baddeley (56th) and Marc Leishman (71st).
The subsequent event, the BMW Championship, will only take the top 70 from the FedEx Cup rankings.