GREENSBORO, N.C. – Jason Dufner’s bid to take over No. 1 in the FedExCup standings hit a snag at the par-3 seventh hole.

He found the creek in front of the green and made a double bogey to fall back into a tie for sixth at 12 under, three strokes behind Sergio Garcia. Dufner, who started the week ranked No. 3, is now projected at second.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Jason Dufner has set himself up for a long run in the FedExCup Playoffs with his solid play this season. So the two-time PGA TOUR champ, who is ranked third in the FedExCup, has decided not to play in the first Playoffs event, The Barclays next week, so he can be rested for the stretch run. The top 125 in the FedExCup standings at the end of this week’s Wyndham Championship are eligible for The Barclays. Dufner is playing for the third straight week at Sedgefield Country Club. Had he played all four Playoffs events, that would mean six straight weeks of competition and seven in eight weeks. Dufner also made his first U.S. Ryder Cup team. The matches at Medinah will be played the week after the Playoffs finale, the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. "I've had a pretty heavy schedule since Firestone or so and I'm looking forward to the second part of the Playoffs," Dufner said. "I'm just not going to be able to do eight out of nine weeks with the TOUR Championship and Ryder Cup at the end of it." Dufner, who shot 67 on Friday at Sedgefield, is playing in the Wyndham Championship for the seventh time  this week. He has competed in Greensboro every year he's been a member of the PGA TOUR and felt strongly about continuing that streak. "I've always supported this event and I've got a good relationship with the people at Wyndham," Dufner said. "So I feel like I need to come here and play ... and I'm just not going to be able to fit in The Barclays this year." Dufner is the only player in the field at the Wyndham Championship who can overtake Tiger Woods as No. 1 in the FedExCup. He'll start the third round at 5 under, seven strokes off the pace being set by Jimmy Walker. "(I'm) hanging around," Dufner said. "A couple of bogeys here and there -- wish i could get those back. ... Just need to get some rest. I am a little fatigued, as I said, and I'm just looking forward to playing two more days here in Greensboro." Dufner knows he will go deep into the Playoffs. But he also knows there can be a lot of volatility as the Playoffs progress. "I'm fortunate that with my play this year I'm in pretty good position with the FedExCup," Dufner said. ".. But anything can change with those Playoff events. It kind of flip-flops around. We saw last year with Bill (Haas) -- he played really well at the end and kind of snuck in and won the thing. So if you're in that last event you've got a chance to win it."

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

The first event of the 2012 FedExCup Playoffs is a week away but go ahead and count on this: Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will be in the same group for the first two rounds of The Barclays.

One of the interesting aspects of the Playoffs is that players are grouped together in the first two rounds of each tournament by their FedExCup points standing. That means the players ranked first, second and third in points after this week’s regular-season finale, the Wyndham Championship, will be in the same threesome in the first two rounds at Bethpage Black.

Woods, the PGA TOUR’s only three-time winner this year, currently is ranked No. 1 in FedExCup points. McIlroy, after his record-setting win Sunday at the PGA Championship, is No. 2 in points.

With just one week left in the regular season, it’s guaranteed that Woods and McIlroy will finish among the top three in points, even though neither player is in the Wyndham field.

Of those players at Sedgefield this week, Jason Dufner could overtake Woods at No. 1 by finishing in a two-way tie for second or better. Since Dufner is currently third in points, he’s already projected to play with Woods and McIlroy at The Barclays.

The only possibility that would knock Dufner out of that group is if he stumbles this week and Carl Pettersson wins Wyndham. Pettersson currently is 449 points behind Dufner; the winner of the Wyndham Championship receives 500 FedExCup points. Dufner, however, could secure his spot in the top three by collecting 52 points (solo 19th or better) this week.

Either way, Woods and McIlroy will remain among the top three.

Woods, incidentally, committed on Monday to play each of the first three Playoffs events – The Barclays, the Deutsche Bank Championship and the BMW Championship – as he seeks a third FedExCup title.

Click here for complete FedExCup standings

The pairings have been unveiled for this week’s PGA TOUR Matchups Game on Facebook. You can check out the Matchups for the Wyndham Championship below, or on the PGA TOUR’s Facebook page.

Participants have until 6 a.m. ET Thursday to make their picks. Log on to the PGA TOUR Facebook page and click the Matchups link to make your picks for this week, or to sign up.

Webb Simpson vs. Bill Haas	Wake Forest alums do battle in their home state
Carl Pettersson vs. Ryan Moore	Two past Wyndham champs ready for more at Sedgefield
Davis Love III vs. Jason Dufner	Ryder Cup Captain keeps close eye on Ryder Cup rookie
Sergio Garcia vs. Trevor Immelman	Two international stars are looking to kick-start their season
Jhonattan Vegas vs. Brendan Steele	Both need a big week to get into the FedExCup Playoffs

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

AKRON, Ohio -- When Jason Dufner was a teenager growing up in Cleveland, the aspiring young golfer would come to watch the pros play Firestone Country Club each summer.

"So (I'm) familiar with the course a little bit watching other guys play," he acknowledged.

Back then the tournament was the NEC World Series of Golf, and like the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational the fabled course now hosts, all the game's best came to play. And this year, Dufner is among that number after picking up the first two wins of his PGA TOUR career.

Dufner's first two competitive rounds at Firestone have been extremely solid, too. He opened with a 67, then posted a 66 on Friday that included a birdie on the 18th hole and lifted him to sole possession of fourth, five strokes behind Jim Furyk.

Dufner may have had plenty of ticket requests to fulfill this week but he's enjoyed playing in front of family and friends.

"It's nice to come back and play in front of a lot of folks that haven't had a chance to see me play up close," Dufner said. "... I don't have a lot of experience on this course, but I'm from this area, and it's good to play in front of a home crowd."

Dufner's played his usually steady game over the first two rounds. He's second in fairways hit, missing just eight; tied for sixth in putting with 27 each day and tied for ninth in greens in regulation.

"Everything has been good," Dufner said. "I've been able to hit the fairways, which is nice for me. I can hit a lot of drivers which gives me shorter clubs into the holes, so I can be more aggressive. And I've putted pretty good I feel like. ... I think I've got four bogeys for the week and three of them are on par 5s, so I've got to work on that a little bit."

Dufner could take over the lead in the FedExCup from Tiger Woods if he finishes first or second on Sunday. He'd also be the first player making his Bridgestone Invitational debut -- aside from Tiger Woods in the inaugural event in 1999 -- to win in his first appearance.

The Auburn grad doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, though.

"We've got two more days left," Dufner said. "Depends on what the weather does, how the course responds to what they're doing out there. If it gets firmer and faster it's obviously tougher to shoot low scores. Feel like I'm in pretty good position heading into the weekend and a couple guys in front of me, so hopefully I can chase them down."

The pairings have been unveiled for this week’s PGA TOUR Matchups Game on Facebook. You can check out the Matchups for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational below, or on the PGA TOUR’s Facebook page.

Participants have until 6 a.m. ET Thursday to make their picks. Log on to the PGA TOUR Facebook page and click the Matchups link to make your picks for this week, or to sign up.

Tiger Woods vs. Adam Scott	The seven-time Firestone champ takes on last year's winner
Ernie Els vs. Keegan Bradley	Two major champs; Bradley tied for 15th in Firestone debut in 2011
Jason Dufner vs. Zach Johnson	These two technicians are sitting in third and second in FedExCup points
Justin Rose vs. Hunter Mahan	Mahan won here in 2010; Rose scored first WGC win this year at Doral
Rickie Fowler vs. Luke Donald	Donald seeks second WGC title; won Accenture Match Play in 2011

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

SAN FRANCISCO -- The way Jason Dufner sees it, the first six holes at The Olympic Club could be key in today's final round of the U.S. Open.

Survive them, maybe even make a birdie somewhere, and you've likely gained ground on the field. Dufner was even par on that difficult stretch in shooting 70 on Saturday. In fact, he's played those holes even in two of the first three rounds -- and just 3 over for the week -- so he should have confidence starting out.

The Olympic Club yields birdies grudgingly, but keep the ball in the fairway on Sunday and Dufner says you'll have some birdie chances over the next nine holes. And there's a legitimate opportunity to be aggressive over the closing stretch, which features back-to-back par 5s, depending on where you stand.

"I think you could have a nice finish to the championship tomorrow with a lot of guys in the mix," Dufner said.  "I would like to make a run, obviously. Those first six holes are pretty tough to play too aggressive or crazy aggressive and pick up birdies, but go through that first six in even and maybe pick up a couple in the middle stretch and give yourself a chance with those last couple holes."

Dufner is no stranger to major championship pressure, either.

He lost last year's PGA Championship in a playoff after taking the lead into the final round. He gets a chance to win one from behind today, starting the final round at 3 over, just four shots off the pace being set by Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell, who already have U.S. Open titles on their resumes.

Dufner is arguably the hottest player on the PGA TOUR right now. He currently leads the FedExCup after winning twice in four events and finishing second in one of the others. He’s improved each day at Olympic, too, opening with a 72 and shooting one stroke lower each successive day.

"It's just tough when you've hit a lot of good shots and you didn't make, convert putts," Dufner said. "Obviously pars are going a long way, but when you're behind a little bit like I am, you would like to pick up a birdie or two, especially when you've had some putts inside of 10 feet, because it's pretty tough to get it inside 10 feet on this golf course.
   
"So I would like to be two or three better, feel like I played good enough, just haven't converted on some opportunities out there."

Sunday would be a good time to start.

The pairings have been unveiled for this week’s PGA TOUR Matchups Game on Facebook. You can check out the Matchups for the U.S. Open below, or on the PGA TOUR’s Facebook page.

Participants have until 6 a.m. ET Thursday to make their picks. Log on to the PGA TOUR Facebook page and click the Matchups link to make your picks for this week, or to sign up.

Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson	At Pebble Beach in February, Phil beat him heads-up
Bubba Watson vs. Matt Kuchar	Two-plane bomber vs. the one-plane technician
Rory McIlroy vs. Lee Westwood	Both are in prime form ahead of the second major
Luke Donald vs. Jason Dufner	Similar games, but give Donald the edge in putting
Rickie Fowler vs. Dustin Johnson	Like Rory/Westwood, these two are playing well

Who was the best PGA TOUR player in May? Now you can help determine the winner.

Avis Rent A Car and the PGA TOUR have redesigned the PGA TOUR’s Player of the Month award program for 2012. The monthly honor will now be determined by a fan vote via PGATOUR.COM. 

On the first Wednesday of each month, fans can vote online at PGATOUR.COM for one of four players nominated for their outstanding play the previous month by a panel of national media.

The four nominees for May are: Rickie Fowler, Jason Dufner, Matt Kuchar and Zach Johnson.

This choices might be the toughest seen so far in 2012. Fowler won the Wells Fargo Championship, then followed it up with a tie for second at THE PLAYERS and a tie for fifth at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Jason Dufner rolled through the TOUR in May, winning the HP Byron Nelson Championship, then finishing solo second at Colonial. Matt Kuchar beat the strongest field of the year at THE PLAYERS. Johnson was second at THE PLAYERS, then beat Dufner at Colonial for his second win there in three years.

To cast your vote, just click here.

The voting ends on the following Sunday, and the player with the most votes will be named the PGA TOUR Player of the Month. In addition, Avis, the “Official Rental Car Company” of the PGA TOUR, will present the winner with a $50,000 check payable to his charity of choice.

Results will be posted next Wednesday on PGATOUR.COM.

Previous winners:

January: Johnson Wagner
February: Phil Mickelson
March: Justin Rose
April: Bubba Watson