September 22 2012
1:00 AM
FedExCup update after second round
ATLANTA -- Friday's first round of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, the final event in the FedExCup Playoffs that will determine this year’s FedExCup champion, is in the books. Here’s a look at the key developments and notes concerning the FedExCup:
KEY LINKS: Latest points projections | Shots back | Official standings | Scenarios to win FedExCup
NO. 1 PROJECTION: Rory McIroy has regained the top spot in the FedExCup projections and will win the FedExCup if he wins the TOUR Championship. The Northern Irishman, who is currently tied for seventh, four strokes off the pace, right now needs to finish 12th or better to win the $10 million bonus.
Jim Furyk, who leads by one at 7 under, is currently projected to finish second in the FedExCup.
HOW TOP FIVE FARED: Any of the top five players in points after the reset can win the FedExCup by winning the TOUR Championship. Here’s a look at their first rounds.
| Player | Score | Thru 36 | Pos. | Quick review |
| Rory McIlroy | 69 | 3 under | T7 | He had a shaky start but
finished strong with a 25-footer for eagle at the 15th hole.
He only his six fairways but round 13 of his last 18 greens
in regulation.
Strokes back: He is actually three strokes to the good in his quest to win the Cup. |
| Tiger Woods | 73 | 1 under | T12 | The back nine did Woods in as he
made four bogeys and just a lone birdie. He only hit eight
fairways and needed 32 putts.
Strokes back: He needs to make up four strokes to win the Cup. |
| Nick Watney | 74 | 9 over | 30th | For the second straight day
Watney struggled on the front nine, making three bogeys and a
double in his first six holes. He rallied and shot even on
the back.
Strokes back: He needs to make up 14 to win the Cup. |
| Phil Mickelson | 71 | Even | T16 | Mickelson is still battling a
balky putter – he had 30 on Friday and is tied for 25th
in the 30-man field with 63 total putts despite being tied
for first in GIRs.
Strokes back: He needs to make up six strokes to win the Cup. |
| Brandt Snedeker | 70 | 2 under | T10 | Snedeker ranks first in fairways
hit with 20 of 28 but he’s only hit 12 of 18 greens
each of the first two days. He’s tied for fifth in
putting with 56.
Strokes back: He needs to make up four strokes to win the Cup. |
BIGGEST MOVERS: The top-two players on the leaderboard, Jim Furyk and Justin Rose, made the only double-digit moves in the FedExCup projections. If the tournament had ended after the second round, Furyk would have been the runner-up in the FedExCup -- a jump of 16 spots. Rose, on the other hand, has moved up 17 spots in the projections after starting the week at No. 24.
ODDS AND ENDS: Jim Furyk was the first to prove that the FedExCup could be won by a player entering the TOUR Championship outside of the top five in the points standings, winning both the tournament and the FedExCup in 2010 after starting the week No. 11. At No. 18 in 2012, he's trying to do it again. ...
Furyk’s round included 3s on his first seven holes Friday, the longest streak in the history of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. He ended the round with a total of 10 3s. By comparison, Greg Owen has the most in a round this season, making 12 during the first round of the 2012 RBC Canadian Open. …
The second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win nine of 39 stroke-play events on TOUR this season, most recently Rory McIlroy at the Deutsche Bank Championship. In the 25-year history of the TOUR Championship, the second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win the tournament 11 times – most recently Jim Furyk (2010).
