CARMEL, Ind. – Rory McIlroy made a nice up-and-down to save par at the par-3 17th and goes to his 72nd hole with a two-stroke lead at 21 under.

Phil Mickelson is his closest pursuer at 19 under. Mickelson has two holes to play.

Lee Westwood is in solo third at 18 under, while Tiger Woods has moved into a tie with Robert Garrigus at 17 under.

Vijay Singh has fallen off the pace and is now projected outside the top 30.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

CARMEL, Ind. – Bill Haas was hoping to be the first reigning FedExCup champion to defend his title at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Instead, just like all the previous defending champs, Haas will not be at East Lake when the FedExCup is decided.

Haas

Tiger Woods (2007), Vijay Singh (2008), Woods again (2009) and Jim Furyk (2010) were the previous FedExCup champs who either did not play in the Playoffs or did not qualify for the the TOUR Championship the year after their win.

“Honestly, it seems like the same old story, something I’ve been doing a lot this year,” a disappointed Haas said after his round. “Under the gun haven’t been able to get it done. It’s something I’ve got to address and get better.”

Haas hit arguably the shot of the year in 2011 when he blasted out of shallow water to save par at the 17th hole in a playoff against Hunter Mahan at the TOUR Championship. Haas then went on to beat Mahan in the playoff and claim the FedExCup title.

Haas also had a clutch putt this year to claim the Northern Trust Open in a playoff against Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley.

But he’s frustrated with his play under pressure, especially this week.

“When there’s some pressure and there’s a pressure situation, I’ve got to be able to bear down and shoot a good number and not just blow up,” he said. “I seem to do it often. It’s frustrating. …

“When nerves are an issue and under the gun, I’ve got to be better  -- and right now I’m far from competitive.”

CARMEL, Ind. – With a bogey at the par-4 14th, Vijay Singh now projects outside the top 30 in FedExCup points. It’s the first time all day that Singh – the 54-hole co-leader with Phil Mickelson – has projected outside the players who will advance to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

The player benefitting the most from Singh’s drop is Scott Piercy, who now projects to 30th.

Singh still has four holes to make up the ground, however. He’s currently at 16 under, four shots off the lead held by Rory McIlroy, who has birdied the par-5 15th to move to 20 under.

UPDATE (5:25 p.m. ET): Singh bogeyed the par-4 16th and is now at 15 under for the tournament. That puts Singh in solo eighth place. He’s now projected to 33 in points.

CARMEL, Ind. --- Tiger Woods has three holes left in his final round of the BMW Championship and remains three shots off the lead held by Rory McIlroy. If he comes up short on Sunday, part of the blame will fall on his failure to birdie any of the four par-5 holes at Crooked Stick.

Woods was 9 under on the par 5s through the first three rounds. He birdied all of the par 5s in the first round, three in the second round and two in the third round.

On Sunday, here’s how he played the par 5s

Fifth hole – Found the rough with his tee shot and had to lay up with his second. Missed an 12-foot birdie putt

Ninth hole – Found the greenside bunker with his second shot and missed a 14-foot birdie putt

11th hole – Found the rough with his tee shot and had to lay up with his second. Missed a 13-foot birdie putt

15th hole – Found the rough with his tee shot and had to lay up with his second. Missed a birdie putt from inside 7 feet.

CARMEL, Ind. – It appears Bill Haas will not get a chance to defend his FedExCup title at East Lake.

Haas bogeyed four of his last five holes to shoot a 6-over 78. He finished at 3 under for the tournament and a tie for 45th. That leaves him projected at 33rd in points after he entered the week ranked 28th.

If Haas does not advance to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, he would be continue the string of reigning FedExCup champions failing to make it to East Lake the following year. No FedExCup winner has ever advanced to defend at East Lake.

UPDATE (5:01 p.m. ET): Haas is officially eliminated now that Ryan Moore has completed his round and will finish ahead of both Haas and Kyle Stanley in the standings.

CARMEL, Ind. – Nick Watney didn’t make an impact on the leaderboard at the BMW Championship, but it appears his spot in the top five in FedExCup points is safe.

Watney

The top five in points going into the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola are the only players who control their own destiny in regards to the FedExCup.

“If I stay in the top five, that would be great,” Watney said. “If not, that’s not too bad. Bill (Haas) showed last year that there’s always a chance.

“Hopefully I can control my own destiny, but if I go there and win, FedExCup hopefully will take care of itself.”

CARMEL, Ind. – All the leaders in the final round of the BMW Championship are now on the back nine. Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood are the co-leaders at 18 under after a wild front nine at Crooked Stick.

Dustin Johnson and Vijay Singh are one shot back at 17 under, with Adam Scott another two strokes back.

Less than 30 minutes ago, McIlroy, Johnson, Mickelson and Westwood were tied for the lead, with Singh in fifth place.

Johnson chipped in for birdie on the opening hole and chipped in for eagle at the par-5 ninth. Mickelson has also chipped in for a birdie.

Vijay Singh, the 54-hole co-leader is in a precarious position. Not only is he playing for the tournament championship, he also has little wiggle room in regards to his FedExCup ranking. After making bogey at the par-4 seventh, he was projected to 29th in points. If he continues to fall down the leaderboard, he will not advance to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Tiger Woods is 1 under for his round and has yet to really get into the mix.

Ryan Moore and Robert Garrigus are also fighting to stay inside the top 30 after starting the week outside that number.

UPDATE (3:43 p.m. ET): Rory McIlroy is now the solo leader after making a birdie at the par-4 10th. He’s now at 19 under.