Fedex Cup standings update heading into BMW weekend

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – There is no midway cut at this week’s 70-man BMW Championship.

The more important cuts come Sunday.

First, the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings after the final round at Conway Farms will advance to the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta. They will each have at least a mathematical chance of taking home the $10 million prize, but a bigger perk is that they are automatically exempt into the year’s first three majors.

The next race is for the top five seeds. Anyone in the top five after the third playoff event can win the FedEx Cup with a victory at East Lake.

Here’s a quick glance at how things stand heading into the weekend at the BMW:

Top tier: Henrik Stenson and Tiger Woods. Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the FedEx Cup standings should remain in the top five regardless of what happens over the final two rounds at Conway Farms.

On the top 5 bubble: Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar and Graham DeLaet. A big weekend will go a long way in determining which players will control their own destiny in Atlanta. DeLaet is the only player with top 10s in the first two playoff events, but he’s T-36 through two rounds.

On the top 30 bubble: Dustin Johnson, Charles Howell III, Harris English, Jimmy Walker, Ryan Moore, D.A. Points and Boo Weekley. DJ’s poor play in Chicago has put his Tour Championship berth in jeopardy, while Moore and Walker can make an unlikely push into the season finale if they can remain near the top of the leaderboard.

Better luck next year: Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. Barring a miraculous comeback, Westwood will miss the Tour Championship after a 80-73 start at Conway Farms. McIlroy shot 68 in Round 3 but it won’t be enough to extend his PGA Tour season, while his fellow countryman G-Mac has failed to mount a charge so far.