O'Hair, Vegas in good position to move on in playoffs

PARAMUS, N.J. – Let the annual scramble begin.

For many the PGA Tour playoffs bring a unique brand of pressure, with players vying to move on to the next event or an early off-season.

Friday’s cut at The Northern Trust brought a bit of clarity to this race, with six players poised to play their way into the top 100 on the FedExCup point list and next week’s Dell Technologies Championship.

Sean O’Hair (T-6), Jhonattan Vegas (T-6), Nick Watney (T-17), Harold Varner III (T-17), Sam Ryder (T-24) and Sam Saunders (T-24) all began the week outside the top 100 but are currently projected to move on to TPC Boston.

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O’Hair, who began the week 121st on the point list, is projected to jump to 68th, and Vegas (123rd) is currently 70th on the list. Ryan Palmer, the bubble boy at 100th on the list, is also tied for sixth and projected to move to 60th.

Conversely, there are six players who are currently projected to drop out of the top 100, including Brandon Harkins (T-67), Trey Mullinax (T-67) and Alex Cejka (T-55). At least they still have a chance to improve their playoff chances with weekend tee times at Ridgewood Country Club.

Charl Schwartzel and Rory Sabbatini both missed the cut and Patrick Rodgers skipped the post-season opener to attend a wedding and will have no control over their playoff fortunes.