FedExCupDate: Rory McIlroy is the leader in the clubhouse after two events

The FedEx Cup is here, and throughout the playoffs we’ll be providing you with up-to-the-second updates of all the action! (OK, maybe not that fast. You don’t want us yelling in your ear.) Now, only 70 players remain, and after the BMW Championship, only 30 will still be in the mix. Who’s in danger of missing the cut, and who’s already booked a ticket to Atlanta? Read on and see …

At the top: I hope Nick Watney enjoyed his time at the top of the FedExCup rankings, because it lasted only a week. Watney, who jumped up 48 spots following his win at the Barclays, slid to No. 2 after Rory McIlroy’s victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Tiger Woods remained in the No. 3 spot, which means we’ll get to see a McIlroy, Watney, Woods grouping at the BMW Championship. Brandt Snedker (4th) and Louis Oosthuizen (5th) round out the top-five after two events.

On the way up: Louis made the most significant jump, moving up 16 spots to fifth; he’s now in a perfect position to win the $ 10 million. Jeff Overton, who was sitting in 83rd, shot up 43 spots to 40th with a T-7. Considering he went to school at the University of Indiana and this week’s tournament is being played outside Indianapolis, he clearly had some motivation to move on to the third leg of the playoffs. Oh, and Dicky Pride went from 96th to 70th with a T-20. Not bad for a guy who was on the outside looking in at the start of the week.

On the decline: Ben Curtis finished dead last after two rounds and missed the cut; he fell from 37th to 47th after the reset. Ryan Palmer also missed the cut to go from 42nd to 57th in the standings. As far as notable names are concerned, Bubba Watson missed the weekend and dropped from 7th to 10th. But with a win or strong finish this week he’d by right back in the chase going into the Tour Championship.

On the bubble: Only the top 30 advance to East Lake in two weeks, so anyone outside the number has some work to do this week. That includes Dicky Pride (70th), Charley Hoffman (69th), Charl “four-putt” Schwartzel (68th), Kevin Na (64th), Padraig Harrington (56th) and Geoff Ogilvy (53rd). It’s time to go low this week, gentlemen.

Out the door: There were 30 FedExCup casualties at TPC Boston, as the field went from 100 to 70 players. That means John Mallinger, Chad Campbell, Davis Love III (I think he has something important coming up), Harrison Frazar, Boo Weekley and Jason Bohn will be taking some time off to grind on the practice range.

All right, your turn. Who’s your pick to take the championship at East Lake?

Devil Ball Golf – Golf – Yahoo! Sports