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FedEx Cup: Players on the move at THE NORTHERN TRUST

By Kasey Kuhrts

JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 11: Patrick Reed of the United States and Abraham Ancer of Mexico embrace on the 18th green after Reed won during the final round of The Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club on August 11, 2019 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 11: Patrick Reed of the United States and Abraham Ancer of Mexico embrace on the 18th green after Reed won during the final round of The Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club on August 11, 2019 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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The Northern Trust got the revamped FedEx Cup Playoffs started with plenty of drama. Here are the biggest movers to come out of Liberty National.

The Northern Trust gave us some great golf this past weekend in New York, and saw two players outside the top ten in the FedEx Cup standings jump into real contention.

“Captain America” Patrick Reed got his first win on the PGA Tour since the 2018 Masters, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Coming into the week, Reed was 50th in the standings, and with the win he guarantees himself a spot next week in Chicago, and in Atlanta in two weeks at the Tour Championship.

As Reed’s 48-spot jump in the standings was impressive, two other players jumped significantly more spots that Reed. Abraham Ancer, who was paired with Reed in the final group on Sunday, and Harold Varner III each jumped over 50 spots in the standings.

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Ancer was in it all the way until the end, making a somewhat long par putt on 18 to keep the pressure on Reed until the very end of the day. That putt on 18 also secured his spot in solo second, which jumped him 59 spots in the FedEx Cup standings, from 67th to eighth.

However, the biggest jump of the day belonged to Harold Varner III. Varner was outside the top 100 when the event started, and after the event ended Varner found himself just inside the top 30. Jumping an incredible 73 spots from 102nd to 29th, guaranteeing Varner a spot in the BMW Championship next week. Varner will still need a solid score next week to keep his place in the Tour Championship in two weeks, but that’s a massive shot in the arm.

Two other players who made pretty solid leaps in the standings this weekend were Louis Oosthuizen and Jordan Spieth.  Both players jumped over 20 spots in the standings, with Oosthuizen moving up 23 spots, and Spieth moving 25.

Oosthuizen’s play moved himself into 28th in the standings, and for now holding down a spot in the Tour championship.

Spieth, who had to put together a good round just to get into the BMW Championship next week did just that. Jordan had a solid Thursday and Friday this past week, but a 3-over-par 74 on Saturday put his FedEx Cup future at risk.

However, his Sunday looked like the Jordan Spieth of old, his seven birdie, 4-under-par round put him into a tie for sixth at the end of the tournament. His jump of 25 spots put him into 44th securing his spot in the BMW and puts him in position to make a run for the top 30 and the Tour Championship. It wasn’t the week he dreamed of, but it keeps him alive.

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Next week in Chicago at the BMW Championship, there guarantees to be more exciting golf just like we saw this past weekend in New York. With the field being trimmed from 70 to 30, as well as some incredibly important starting position to be determined for East Lake, these FedEx Cup Playoffs are only getting more intense with each passing day.

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