Of the top 29 players on the leaderboard, only eight are at par or worse early in Saturday’s third round. Three of those eight are the trio of rookies – Jhonattan Vegas, William McGirt and Brendan Steele – who were grabbing headlines during the first two rounds. Vegas, who had 14 birdies and an eagle to earn shares of the overnight lead after each of the first two rounds, is at 11 under and 1 over through five holes Saturday at TPC Summerlin. McGirt, who shared the first round lead with Vegas, birdied No. 7 to get back to even par for his round while Steele opened with a bogey and has added five consecutive pars since then. Those two rookies are tied at 10 under, four shots behind leader Kevin Na. The bright side for this trio is that they’ve still got the back nine ahead, which they’ve played at a combined total of 22 under this week.

Rookies ruled the day in Thursday’s opening round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open with Jhonattan Vegas and William McGirt emerging tied for the lead after matching 8-under 63s. Through the early portions of Friday’s second round, the theme remains the same while a new rookie has been cast for a leading role. Brendan Steele, who won last year’s season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island as well as this year’s Valero Texas Open on the PGA TOUR, has carded six birdies today and moved to 11 under, tied with Vegas atop the leaderboard. Steele started on the back nine, and is now 9 under on that side for the week. Vegas, who made 10 birdies Thursday en route to a share of the overnight lead, has just two through 11 holes Friday but also has an eagle from a greenside bunker on the drivable par-5 15th. Vegas (Bob Hope Classic) and Steele are two of six rookies who have won on the PGA TOUR this season. Both are looking to join Keegan Bradley as two-time rookie winners. McGirt is 1 under for the day and tied with Tim Herron, two shots behind the co-leaders.

Jhonattan Vegas and William McGirt, two PGA TOUR rookies, find themselves atop the leaderboard after the first round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Vegas, who won early this season at the Bob Hope Classic after finishing No. 7 on the 2010 Nationwide Tour money list, is one of six rookie winners on the PGA TOUR this season. McGirt, a 2010 q-school graduate, hit his stride late in the season as he escaped the FedExCup bubble to qualify for The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship. Nathan Green, who held the lead for much of the afternoon, ended up one shot off the pace. Charlie Wi birdied two of his last three holes to get to 7 under and tie Green for third place. There are 11 golfers (including Nick Watney, Steve Flesch, Matt Jones and Tim Herron) tied at 6 under, two shots off the pace. Click below to see some of the best shots from Thursday's opening round at TPC Summerlin.

Jhonattan Vegas reached 8 under, dropped back to 7 under on No. 17, then birdied No. 18 to take sole possession of the lead. The rookie from Venezuela now has company from another member of the 2011 rookie Class. With a birdie on the par-5 16th hole, this week’s Kodak Challenge hole, William McGirt has reached 8 under in what has been a bogey-free opening round thus far. McGirt, who qualified for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup in the last week of the Regular Season, has work to do to retain his full status on TOUR. He entered the Fall Series at No. 137 on the money list. Also moving up the leaderboard late in the afternoon was Charlie Wi. The South Korean birdied five consecutive holes on the back nine, his opening nine, and went on to post a 7-under 64, tied for the day’s second best score with early leader Nathan Green.

With a birdie on the par-5 16th hole, this week's Kodak Challenge hole, Jhonattan Vegas has taken a one-shot lead over Nathan Green in the first round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Vegas, playing in a city that shares his surname, has nine birdies and a bogey through 16 holes at TPC Summerlin. Tim Herron is at 6 under through 14 holes, just two shots behind Vegas with a drivable par 4 and the par-5 16th ahead of him. Also making noise in the afternoon wave are Cameron Tringale (-5/17) and William McGirt (-5/12).

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

NORTON, Mass. -- Just like he's done the past two weeks, William McGirt enters this week's tournament fighting for his Playoffs life. But he's also fighting another battle -- to keep his PGA TOUR card for next year.

It's a battle that may also require him to play a full schedule in the Fall Series.

According to PGA TOUR officials here, McGirt is the only player in the 99-man field in the Deutsche Bank Championship who is on the outside of the current top 125 on the money list and does not yet have fully exempt status for 2012.

McGirt ranks 96th in FedExCup points but 141st on the money list. Unless he climbs into the top 125 by the end of the season, he will not have fully exempt status after the fall.

"I'm probably going to have to make another $300,000, $400,000 to keep my card," McGirt said Wednesday. "But the good news is, a good week this week and we keep moving on."

McGirt is approximately $160,000 behind current No. 125 David Mathis. The top 125 on the money list at the end of the year earn their cards for 2012.

Mathis, however, did not make the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. McGirt did, using a clutch performance to claim the last spot after the Wyndham Championship. He then advanced to the Deutsche Bank with a tie for 24th last week at The Barclays, his best result in his last 20 starts on TOUR.

In terms of the money list, McGirt was 158th after Wyndham but moved up to 141st after The Barclays. So while others in his same situation must wait until the Fall Series to start earning money again, McGirt has an unique opportunity to make up significant ground now, thanks to the chase for the FedExCup.

"But I'm not looking at is as I have to get it done right now," McGirt said. "I've got four fall finish events. There's plenty of opportunities left to lock up my card.

"And I think if you start putting pressure on yourself to get it done this week, that I have to make this much money, I think you're only setting yourself up for failure.

"If you're going out there trying to win golf tournaments, things will take care of themselves if you play well."

McGirt, who earned status this year thanks to his tie for second at last year's q-school (and may have to try q-school again if he doesn’t climb inside the top 125), is enjoying the ride right now. His performance the last couple of weeks have made him sort of a Cinderella story, the longshot who keeps playing well enough to stay alive.

"Obviously I want to play well," McGirt said. "I want to stay out here, but I've tried to make it fun, enjoy what we're doing, find things to do on the road, stuff that we would never do without being in this situation, being on TOUR and being in these tournaments. My wife and I have had a blast.

"We started the year and said, whether or not I keep my card, we're going to have fun, but I'm going to give it everything that I have. If I keep my card, great; if I don't, I'll walk away at the end of this year knowing that I gave it everything that I have and that I thoroughly enjoyed this year."

Notes from the third and final round of The Barclays, the opening event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. ( Click here for updated FedExCup standings): WHO’S ELIMINATED: With the conclusion of The Barclays, the field in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup has been trimmed from 125 to 100 players. Officially being eliminated Saturday at Plainfield Country Club were Bryce Molder, Josh Teater, Hunter Haas, Chris DiMarco, Paul Goydos, D.J. Trahan, Nick O’Hern, Matt Bettencourt, Arjun Atwal, Tim Herron, Michael Bradley, Retief Goosen, Kevin Stadler, Heath Slocum, Joe Ogilvie, David Hearn,. These 16 join the nine players who were officially eliminated Friday after missing the cut or withdrawing from the tournament: Tom Gillis, Michael Thompson, Vaughn Taylor, Rod Pampling, Billy Mayfair, James Driscoll, Steven Bowditch, Steve Flesch and Stuart Appleby. TRENDING UP: The 2011 Playoffs took on a very 2008 feel this week. The 2008 FedExCup runner-up, Camilo Villegas, was No. 125 in the standings and in danger of missing the Playoffs two weeks ago. He is now at No. 51, probably safe through to the BMW Championship, after a 51-spot jump this week at The Barclays. Villegas finished tied for sixth at The Barclays a week after a T9 finish at the Wyndham Championship got him into the Playoffs. … Vijay Singh, who won the FedExCup in 2008, got his putter rolling and led the field in birdies as he tied for third and moved up to eighth in the FedExCup standings. … Padraig Harrington and William McGirt were the last two in the Playoffs and both moved on to the Deutsche Bank Championship. Harrington tied for 13th at The Barclays and moved 44 spots to No. 80 in the FedExCup standings. McGirt isn’t far from the “last man in” at TPC Boston, where he will open the week at 90th in the FedExCup standings. TRENDING DOWN: Ben Crane fell from No. 86 to No. 100 in the FedExCup standings, finishing just three points away from being the highest-ranked player to be eliminated from the Playoffs at The Barclays. Crane made it to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola last year and has played in the BMW Championship each of the last three seasons. He has his work cut out for him if he wants to make it four straight trips to Chicago. … Geoff Ogilvy has played 16 of 17 events in the history of the Playoffs but after a missed cut at The Barclays, he fell to 91st in the FedExCup standings and in need of a strong showing next week to move on. … Andres Romero’s quest for survival was a compelling story during the 2010 Playoffs. Romero, after this week’s T64 finish, is on the bubble again at No. 72 in the FedExCup standings. The 30-year-old has finished outside the top 40 in his last two starts and will need to rebound to move on to the third event of the Playoffs. TOP FIVE: Here’s how the top five players in FedExCup points going into this week performed on Saturday. The top five in points going into the final event of the Playoffs, the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, will control their own destiny.

Rank	Player	Last week	Comment
1	Dustin Johnson	19	Picked a great time to get his first win since last year's Playoffs
2	Matt Kuchar	12	Another strong Barclays makes Kuchar a FedExCup threat again
3	Nick Watney	1	Didn't hurt himself with a Sunday 64 and a T10 finish.
4	Webb Simpson	3	Carried momentum from Wyndham win to T10 at Plainfield
5	Luke Donald	4	Started slowly but good weekend moved him ahead of Stricker

DEFENDING CHAMP: Jim Furyk  finished T52 at The Barclays and is one of two players in the field to have maintained their FedExCup standing. Furyk heads to TPC Boston at No. 60 in the standings for the second consecutive week.

EDISON, N.J. -- Getting there may be a challenge with Hurricane Irene rumbling up the East Coast.

But eight players punched their ticket to TPC Boston on Saturday at The Barclays when they moved into the top 100 in the FedExCup standings.

Camilo Villegas made the biggest move -- jumping 58 spots to 51st when he tied for sixth at Plainfield Country Club. Chris Stroud moved up 31 spots, Ian Poulter 36, Padraig Harrington 44, Bill Lunde 18, William McGirt 29, John Merrick 6 and Ernie Els 19 to No. 99.

Poulter and McGirt had two of the biggest challenges in the final round. The colorful Brit birdied four of his last five holes on Saturday to seal the deal while McGirt, who was the last man to make the field for the first event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, clocked in at No. 101 until he made a birdie on the 17th hole.

Falling out of the top 100 were Bryce Molder, Hunter Haas, Chris DiMarco, Paul Goydos, Nick o'Hern, Matt Bettencourt, Tim Herron and Michael Bradley. Of that group only Molder made the cut and his closing 70 and tie for 65th simply wasn't enough.

EDISON, N.J. -- The last two players in the field for The Barclays have positioned themselves for what could turn out to be a long run in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

Padraig Harrington, who moved from 130th to 124th last week at the Wyndham Championship, has just finished off a round of 67. That left him at 10 under for the tournament and in pursuit of his first PGA TOUR win since he won the last two majors in 2008.

Harrington is now projected at No. 48 in the FedExCup standings, which gives him a legitimate shot at making it through all four Playoffs events for the third time in his career.

Harrington's playing partner, William McGirt, who was the bubble boy when he came to Plainfield Country Club, has also prospered this week. The PGA TOUR rookie shot 69 on on Friday after opening with a 64. McGirt is projected at No. 62 in the FedExCup.

Harrison Frazar, who held a share of the lead at 7 under overnight, has played eight holes of his second round. He's made four birdies and now stands in sole possession of third at 11 under, three strokes off the pace being set by Matt Kuchar.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

EDISON, N.J. -- He certainly didn't want to, not with the kind of roll he was on. But William McGirt had to leave that 12-footer for birdie on the par-5 12th hole until Friday morning.

The PGA TOUR rookie had just made birdies on seven of his last eight holes. But darkness was settling over Plainfield Country Club and McGirt didn't want to take the chance of missing that putt.

"I wanted to hit it so bad, but just looking at it there was enough of a shadow on the green that I couldn't really read it," McGirt said. "My eyes were seeing one thing and my feet were feeling something else. So I put a mark on it."

If McGirt makes that putt, he'll own sole possession of the lead at The Barclays, a tournament he wasn't sure he was going to get to play in until Sunday afternoon when he climbed two spots to No. 125 in the final regular season FedExCup standings. He left the course on Thursday tied for the lead with Harrison Frazar, who had finished off his 64, and Matt Kuchar, who had two holes remaining.

McGirt, though, will have six more holes to play after he putts out on the 12th. Interestingly, his PGA TOUR career low came last Friday on another Donald Ross course at Sedgefield Country Club where he shot 64 and went on to tie for 52nd at the Wyndham Championship. McGirt, who had some anxious moments on Sunday, eventually edged Justin Leonard by six points for the final playoff spot.

"All in all, everything is going pretty well," McGirt said of his performance Thursday. "I was driving it pretty well, hit my irons pretty well and making some putts. So pretty good combo. Hopefully,  I can finish it off in the morning and get another good one in the afternoon."

McGirt holed a 13-footer to save par from the greenside bunker at No. 3, and he said that "jump-started everything" on Thursday. He made a 21-footer for his first birdie at the fourth hole and got up-and-down from the back fringe at the par-5 5th before deadly approaches at Nos. 6 and 7 left him putts of 4 feet and 13 inches.

McGirt got on another run at the ninth hole where he made an 11-footer for birdie. He followed with putts of 4 and 31 feet on the next two holes to move to 7 under before three quality shots set up the 12-footer he'll face at 7:15 a.m. on Friday.

"It's been so long since I've been on a streak like that, I wish I could do it more," McGirt said. "It seemed like today I had a lot of good numbers for shots. Just like last Friday, last Friday it seemed like every shot we walked off was a perfect number.

"Then on Saturday, I don't think I had a good number all day. Everything was dead in-between clubs. You're just trying to rip one or feather on in there. So it's kind of easy to get it going when you're hitting stock shots all day. So hopefully I can continue that tomorrow."