It’s just Spieth’s third missed cut in 21 starts this season. But with Rory McIlroy deciding to skip this week to rest his ankle, the negative result was enough to drop Spieth back into the second spot in the world rankings.
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Spieth bogeyed the 18th to finish 6 over, four shots below the cut line. It’s his first missed cut since the Players Championship back in May, and his 12 holes of bogey or worse were his most this season.
Also missing the cut: former FedEx Cup champ Brandt Snedeker, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott and 2014 FedEx champ Billy Horschel.
CBS commentator Nick Faldo joked on the air Friday that Spieth might be the best player, with two majors, to lose the top spot so fast. But Faldo partner Terry Gannon replied that he’s likely to find his way back.
Gannon’s sentiment is highly likely. Spieth won the Masters and the U.S. Open and narrowly missed on the British Open and PGA Championship. This missed cut will likely be a blip in what is primed to be an outstanding career.
Spieth took No. 1 after the PGA, so his reign lasted less than two weeks.
McIlroy and Spieth will be back in action in next week’s second round of the FedEx Playoffs. The Deutsche Bank Championship will be held at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass.
Spieth’s large lead in the FedEx Cup standings will shrink because of his poor performance at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J. Jason Day entered the competition second, with Bubba Watson third.
Day won the PGA. Watson is a two-time Masters winner and was atop The Barclays leaderboard after both the first two rounds. Day begins Saturday tied for eighth.
Here’s the leaderboard heading into the third round. All times ET.
