NORTON, Mass. – While Scott Scheffler’s morning 59 and Dustin Johnson’s afternoon 60 were the numbers that attracted the spotlight in Round 2 of THE NORTHERN TRUST at TPC Boston, some afternoon gut-checks were turned in by a pair of heavyweights who snuck in under the cut line.
McIlroy, playing a group behind Johnson, bogeyed four times on his outward nine and was 1-under through 12 holes. The two birdies he needed to make the cut at 3-under 139 were secured at the par-4 13th and par-3 16th.
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Two pairings later, Woods was locked into a pedestrian round when something far more dramatic was needed. He started the day at 3-under and was still there 12 holes later when he bogeyed the 13th to fall outside the cut. Birdies at 14 and 15 put him at 4-under, only consistent with his up-and-down play, Woods bogeyed the gentle, par-4 17th after missing the green with a wedge from 125 yards.
Still, at 71 – 139 Woods can tee it up Saturday and Sunday in an effort to improve his bid to make the TOUR Championship. He came into the week ranked 49th in the FedExCup standings, is currently projected at 57th, but is a lock to get into next week’s BMW Championship.
Not as fortunate: Recent form went out the window when the recent PGA Champion, Collin Morikawa (72 – 143), and last week’s 1-2 finishers at the Wyndham Championship, Jim Herman (70 – 145) and Billy Horschel (70 – 143) missed the cut.
Other notable names joined them, including Bryson DeChambeau (71 – 142) and Sungjae Im (67 – 142), although they project to stay top 10 in FedExCup points, along with Morikawa.
His struggles continue: Failing to generate any sort of momentum, which pretty much was the story of his season, Jordan Spieth shot 71 – 140 and by missing the cut he can call an end to his season. It’s the first time in his eight-year career that he will not advance to the BMW Championship and the second straight season that he’ll miss the TOUR Championship.
Goodbye and hello: The playoffs, and season, are also over for Phil Mickelson (68 – 142), who failed to qualify for the BMW Championship for the first time since the playoffs began in 2007. The lefthander then tweeted out that his competitive golf is not over, because he tweeted out that he intends to play in next week’s PGA TOUR Champions tournament.
Source: PGA tour
