GREENSBORO, N.C. --  The PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup will be missing five major champions as well as one former PLAYERS champion when The Barclays begins on Thursday.

Angel Cabrera, who has two majors on his resume, as well as former British Open champs Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton and PGA winners Rich Beem and Shaun Micheel, won't be participating after missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship.

All came into the week ranked outside the top 125 in the FedExCup standings and didn’t earn any points as a result. Other notables on the sidelines are Henrik Stenson, who won the 2009 PLAYERS Championship; Rocco Mediate and Boo Weekley.

By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM BETHESDA, Md. -- It was touch-and-go for a while there, but the Big Three played their way into the weekend Friday afternoon. World No. 2 Lee Westwood ripped through a second-round 68 to go into the weekend at plus-1, while third-ranked  Martin Kaymer shot a 70 and is at 2 over. World No. 1 Luke Donald struggled coming in, but shot 72 to settle in at 4 over, which is expected to be the cut. Donald considered himself lucky to make the cut. "I struggled on the back nine both days and that comes down to not hitting enough fairways and not hitting enough greens,'' he said. "I hit 50 percent of fairways this week and you are always going to struggle on a course like this. I’ve got to find something on the weekend and shoot a couple of good rounds and see what happens. Rory is well ahead but you keep fighting and see what you can do." When asked about chasing leader Rory McIlroy and what advice he might give him, Westwood chuckled. "I'm supposed to beat him over the next two days,'' he said. "I'm hardly going to give him advice, am I?" Westwood has his eye on Y.E. Yang, who is in second. "Trying to catch him, because if I'm going to win the tournament, then I'm going to need Rory to play poorly over the weekend,'' Westwood said. "I might play great and shoot 11‑under par and get to 10, but he's still got to shoot ‑‑ if he shoots level at the weekend then he wins. But when you've got a six‑shot lead, as I know, because I've had a few six‑shot leads, everybody gives you the tournament almost, so in everybody's mind he's probably already won it.  They're probably debating whether he's already won it on TV." Perhaps. But what they are doing is wondering just who will be around for the weekend. With play suspended at 8:04 p.m. and seven groups still on the course, it looks as though some prominent names will be headed home. The final cut will be made Saturday after the second round concludes. Bubba Watson (4 over) is the only one of the four Golf Boys to make the cut. Hunter Mahan and Rickie Fowler are just under the current line at 5 over, along with Adam Scott and former British Open champ Stewart Cink, who bogeyed his final hole. Ian Poulter (6 over) landed in Orlando in time for dinner -- he tweeted it -- and had company there at 6 over with two-time U.S. Open champ Ernie Els and Ben Crane. Former PGA champ David Toms and former U.S. Open Jim Furyk went home at 7 over par, as did former Masters champ Angel Cabrera at 8 over.  

At the Masters, it was a second driver. Next week at the U.S. Open, a 2-iron will be the specialized choice for Phil Mickelson. The four-time major champion and habitual equipment tinkerer frequently tailors his bag to courses, with much fanfare. At Congressional, he figures 255-yard bullets off the tee could get him closer to an elusive U.S. Open title. Enter an 18-degree Callaway 2-iron that he’s been auditioning for several weeks. “It’s just a 2-iron that Callaway has made for five or six years now,” Mickelson said at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance. “It’s got a little bit of a backing to it, kind of an X-Tour 2-iron that is easy to get up in flight, so it’s going to be in the bag at Congressional and I anticipate using it quite a bit. “I’ve been experimenting the last few weeks trying to get the right 2-iron that flies about 255 or so off the tee, which is kind of what I’m gunning for. I think this one is dialed in just about right.” GOOD CALL: Steve Stricker won the Memorial with some tweaks in his Titleist bag made in recent months. He put KBS Tour C-Taper steel shafts in his AP2 irons and switched from the Titleist Pro V1 to the Pro V1x ball. “I switched equipment maybe five or six tournaments ago. I switched shafts and the ball, and that combination has been really good for me,” Stricker said. “I’m hitting it further. Just the things I am doing with the ball are better.” Incidentally, K.J. Choi also used KBS shafts in winning THE PLAYERS Championship. CRACKED UP: Ever been thrown off your game when a favorite club broke? Happens to TOUR players too. Rickie Fowler has been breaking in a new Titleist 910D3 driver this season after an old favorite, a 909D2, cracked at the end of 2010. “I had a driver crack at the end of last year which I had played for two and a half years, so I had a lot of confidence in that,” said Fowler, 42nd in FedExCup points. “Just working on getting some more confidence in the new driver, and the only way I can do that is just more playing time. “I'm not a guy that changes clubs a lot, so playing time is how I build confidence and trust with clubs. I feel like I've got a good one in the bag right now. I've been playing it since Honda (early March). It's just trying to get as much playing time with it and building up as much trust and confidence with it.” NEXT GENERATION: Ping’s newest driver, the G20, will hit the range this week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. No word yet on who will take one to competition on Thursday, but it’s probably a safe bet that the heavier-headed (than the Ping G15) club will get at least a look from defending FedEx St. Jude champion Lee Westwood, among other Ping TOUR pros. Check out the club here. MORE PING: The company debuted a new line of Anser milled putters at the Memorial, with Angel Cabrera wielding an Anser Milled Series 5 to a T22 finish. SIGNED: Hank Haney and Tiger Woods parted ways some 13 months ago. Now the teacher has let the swoosh go too, as Haney signed an agreement this week to represent TaylorMade. Look for him to sing the praises of the white drivers.

By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- So close -- on two counts. Almost finished his third round. Almost hit dry land.

Just before the weather suspension hit, Angel Cabrera hit his second shot at the 18th into the water. He didn't get a chance to hit his fourth.

At the time, Cabrera was making a charge -- similar to the one he made at Augusta National last month. The former U.S. Open and Masters champ was 6 under for the day with seven birdies and one bogey.

Cabrera's drive at the 18th was in the right rough and he had a complicated 190-yard shot to the green. But instead of punching out, he went for it. "It was four yards too far left,'' swing coach Charlie Epps said. "He was playing good, so he went for it. He still has a shot to make a 5."

When play resumes, Cabrera will hit his fourth shot (including the penalty shot). He had moved up 48 spots on the leader board and into a tie for 12th with one hole to play.

Cabrera didn't touch a club for almost a week before heading to Ponte Vedra Beach. He had emergency surgery in Charlotte last week to repair a tear and an abcess in his intestinal tract. He spent two days in the hospital, then flew to Houston to recuperate. He flew to Jacksonville Tuesday night and played 18 holes Wednesday in preparation.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The first two players finishing the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship had widely varying levels of success.

Matt Jones polished off a round of 69 that included six birdies while his playing partner, Kevin Chappell, struggled to an 80. Chappell had made the field for his first PLAYERS Championship when Jeff Maggert withdrew and shot even par in his first two rounds.

There are several other early starters who are putting up low numbers.

Peter Hanson, who birdied his last two holes on Friday to make the cut on the number. is making the most of his opportunity on the weekend. He has yet to make a bogey and is 6 under through14 holes – for the day and the tournament. 

Angel Cabrera also turned in 32 and has played his first 15 holes in 5 under to make another big jump up the leaderboard.

By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Angel Cabrera couldn't complain. An opening 70. A pretty good day. Just his second 18 holes in a week. And so much better than eight days ago when he was in a hospital recuperating from surgery. Cabrera bounced back from surgery to repair a tear and take care of an abscess in his intestinal track to find himself just six shots -- and less than a dozen people -- shy of the early lead Thursday at THE PLAYERS. "I'm not 100 percent,'' said Cabrera, who played 18 holes Wednesday -- his first time back on the course since withdrawing from the Wells Fargo Champioship. "I am much better than I was yesterday. I hit some pretty good shots." A few loose ones, too, but enough good ones to put himself in a nice position. Cabrera, who has spent the last two years receiving dental implants, was just beginning to get his game back at the Masters where he put himself into contention with a third-round 67. He eventually tied for seventh. He has made the cut here just three of the eight previous times he has played here.

By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.com Correspondent

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – On Wednesday former Masters and U.S. Open champ Angel Cabrera played his first 18 holes since undergoing surgery last week to repair an abscess in his intestinal tract.

"He feels pretty good,'' swing coach Charlie Epps said. "We went to the doctor in Houston Saturday and they said it was healing well and he could go ahead and play golf.''

Cabrera went to the hospital in Charlotte last Monday, underwent a CAT scan and was sent home with medicine. During a return trip the following day doctors found a tear and abscess that needed surgical repair.

So Cabrera withdrew from the Wells Fargo Championship, had the surgery at the  Carolinas Medical Center-Pineville and spent two days in the hospital. He flew home to Houston to rest, then came to Jacksonville on Tuesday,

Cabrera has struggled with a series of dental implants over the past two years.  He was in severe pain at the Northern Trust Open, but it has since subsided. The last implant will be done in two stages -- the first  scheduled for the week prior to the HP Byron Nelson Championship, the second  the week prior to the U.S. Open.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two-time major champion Angel Cabrera withdrew from the Wells Fargo Championship on Wednesday afternoon, citing an illness.

The Argentine was replaced in the field by PGA TOUR rookie Jim Renner. Luckily, Renner remained in Charlotte after playing a practice round on Tuesday instead of heading to Athens, Ga., for the Stadion Classic at UGA.

Well, one member of this week’s featured group of Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Angel Cabrera will be headed home early.

Cabrera just finished off a second-round 78, dropping him to 6 over for the tournament. The cut line is currently 2 over.

The Argentine isn’t the only notable player on the wrong side of the line. Rocco Mediate is 3 over through his first three holes today and now 4 over for the week.

Kevin Na is also done. He followed his now infamous 80 with a 77 on Friday. Had he parred or even bogeyed the ninth hole on Thursday, he’d be well inside the number.

Bo Van Pelt, who tied for eighth at the Masters with rounds of 68-70 on the weekend, is also flirting with not making it to the weekend. He’s right on the number at 2 over for the week and 1 under through five holes in his second round.