FedExCup update: Keith Mitchell, Davis Riley eye last-minute push to Playoffs

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Keith Mitchell is one of golf’s preeminent sports fans, and he drew an apt comparison after a second-round 64 on Saturday at the water-logged Wyndham Championship.

There are two minutes left in the fourth quarter, so to speak. Mitchell has the ball, but he trails by nine. He needs a touchdown, a recovery and a field goal to reach his desired outcome. Lofty perhaps, but don’t count him out.

Mitchell stood outside the cut line after an even-par 70 to begin the FedExCup Regular Season finale, but he surged up the board in Saturday’s second round (Thursday was completely washed out due to Tropical Storm Debby, backing up the week’s cadence). It meant he has plenty to play for Sunday, and perhaps Monday, as he looks to keep a six-year FedExCup Playoffs streak alive.

Mitchell maintained a relaxed physical appearance Saturday afternoon, his shirt’s top few buttons left unbuttoned, which perhaps downplayed the status implications of the next day and a half. The University of Georgia alum entered the week at No. 78 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, needing a two-way tie for seventh at minimum (and likely more) to qualify for his seventh straight postseason.

“It's all or nothing really,” Mitchell said after signing his card early Saturday afternoon,

There’s a flurry of activity around the FedExCup Playoffs bubble, with the top 70 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List after the Wyndham Championship qualifying for next week’s Playoffs-opening FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

This week’s bubble pressure and accompanying weather uncertainty have induced off-script proceedings at Sedgefield Country Club. The opening round began at 9:50 a.m. Friday, after a “Herculean” effort from the club staff and volunteers to bring the course back into playable condition, and there was also a one-hour delay Saturday morning after unexpected overnight storms in North Carolina. It has made for a marathon weekend at the Wyndham; the second round will be completed Sunday morning, with the third round (in threesomes off two tees) set to begin mid-morning. The fourth round will begin mid-afternoon, and although there’s a slight chance the tournament could be completed at dusk Sunday evening, the more likely realm is a Monday finish.

Amidst the logistical juggling, the FedExCup Playoffs bubble is rapidly shifting as well, with the seventh-year TOUR pro Mitchell among those seeking a late-stage push to Memphis. A good friend of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Mitchell wants the proverbial ball and relishes these moments. His second-round performance at Sedgefield was a good start, but he knows a couple more low rounds will be necessary.

“I felt like I've had a good season and kind of faltered at some high points and cost me a bunch of points on Sunday,” Mitchell said. “I’ve made the Playoffs every year I've been on TOUR. This will be the first time if I don't make it, so just kind of figured I'd just go all out. I'm kind of playing from behind and it's no fun to do that, you've just got to kind of dig deep and do the best you can.”

Reigning Charles Schwab Challenge winner Davis Riley applied a similar mindset in Saturday’s second round, carding a 4-under 66 to move to 5 under and keep his Playoffs hopes alive. Riley entered the week at No. 71 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, just three points behind No. 70 Victor Perez but knowing he needed to make the cut – and likely more – to qualify for Memphis. Riley was 2 under for the tournament with seven holes to play Friday, needing to make something happen (the cut will likely settle at 4 under), and he delivered under pressure with three birdies in the next six holes and an 8-footer for par on his final hole.

Riley felt under the weather Wednesday night into Thursday, and although he figured he would have gutted it out if play happened as originally scheduled Thursday, he was grateful for the day off to rest up and build back his strength. He exuded relief as he met the media after his second round, knowing his postseason hopes were still alive.

“It's a big round,” Riley said afterward. “It's very hot out here and it was honestly one of the toughest rounds of golf I've played. I've been a little bit under the weather the last couple days and I was grinding out there … I'm exhausted. To play the weekend and hopefully put together a Playoffs berth would be big time.”

In contrast to players near the bubble, like Mitchell and Riley, those like Chad Ramey (11 under) need something special to qualify for the Playoffs. Ramey entered the week at No. 104 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, needing a solo second at minimum to advance.

With his family in attendance – including dad Stanley, who once caddied him to a Korn Ferry Tour victory and has been a close swing confidant through the years – Ramey has put on a show thus far. He knows he needs the keep the pedal down in his Playoffs push, but he’s grateful for a chance; he has worked through a swing change this season and knew the results could be uneven for some time. Perhaps the changes are coming together at the right time.

“I'm going to go see the physio guys and might go do an ice bath and then just rest,” Ramey said afterward, “because I know tomorrow's going to be a long one.”

Buckle up, golf fans. The FedExCup Regular Season has reached the two-minute warning, and several possessions could yet remain.

Big movers

An 18th straight appearance in the FedExCup Playoffs remains a possibility for Matt Kuchar after he fired a second-straight 64 at Sedgefield to grab the lead at 12 under at the Wyndham Championship.

Kuchar came into the FedExCup Regular Season finale ranked No. 111 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, and only a victory will send him to TPC Southwind next week for the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He arrived in Greensboro with momentum, too, after a tie for third at the 3M Open two weeks ago, his first top-10 of the season.

Kuchar, who is 46 years old, hasn’t won since the 2019 Sony Open in Hawaii. When he tees off on Sunday in search of his 10th TOUR victory, Kuchar is faced with the prospect of a 36-hole finale after Tropical Storm Debby forced the first round to be postponed until Friday.

But Kuchar isn’t worried after finishing as the medalist at U.S. Open Final Qualifying at The Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Florida earlier this summer.

“Able to walk 36 in the heat and humidity without too much problem,” Kuchar said. “This place has a few more hills, but I still feel good about my health, my fitness, ability to try to go in this heat and humidity.

“Glad I grew up in central Florida and know this stuff pretty well. Tonight you try to hydrate as best as you can to make tomorrow a little easier.”

3M Open winner Jhonattan Vegas entered the week at No. 66 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, just within the top 70 bubble. After carding an even-par 70 in Round 1, he made the turn in 1-over 36 in Round 2. Vegas rallied with five birdies for a closing 5-under 30, and his second-round 4-under 66 moved him onto the cut line at 4-under. Though Vegas is projected to move from No. 66 to No. 69, he's given himself the opportunity to secure his spot in Memphis with two solid closing rounds.

"Obviously you think about all of it, right, the big picture," said Vegas on advancing to the Playoffs ahead of the Wyndham Championship. "But at the end of the day you have to stay in the one week at a time." One week, one time.

Bubble watch

Frenchman Victor Perez, who entered the week at No. 70 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, carded opening rounds of 66-69 at Sedgefield to finish 5 under, safely inside the cut line. He stood T26 at the conclusion of play Saturday and was projected No. 71 on the FedExCup standings, one shot off the all-important No. 70 number.

As play was halted Saturday, the final FedExCup Playoffs spot was projected to Seamus Power. The Irishman entered the week at No. 68 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List and carded rounds of 66-70 to make the cut on the number, including a crucial birdie at his final hole of the second round, the par-4 ninth. That birdie could loom large as the dust settles after the final round, whether it be Sunday evening or Monday morning.

Heartbreak warfare

Andrew Putnam, who ranked No. 72 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List into the week, needed to two-putt for par on his final hole of the second round to make the cut and maintain his chances of a move inside the top 70. Putnam's 27-foot birdie try raced 7 feet past the hole, though, and he missed the comebacker en route to a bogey and a 3-under 137 total that will likely leave him one shot outside the cut line. In that case, he cannot advance to the first Playoffs event ... Kurt Kitayama, who entered the week at No. 73 on the FedExCup, chipped in for birdie at his 17th hole of the second round, the par-4 eighth, to move to 3 under and keep his Playoffs hopes alive. The UNLV alum couldn't convert a 20-foot birdie at the ninth, though, that would have moved him inside the cut line. He finished at 3-under 137 and will miss the Playoffs ... Others just outside the top-70 bubble who missed the cut include No. 74 Luke List, No. 75 Lucas Glover (defending champion at the Wyndham) and No. 76 Lee Hodges.

PGA TOUR's Stephanie Royer contributed to this report.