Biggest cut of year awaits final round of PGA regular season

The largest cut since the PGA Tour went to top 65 and ties, followed by two delays for storms in the area, kept the Wyndham Championship from finishing the third round Saturday in Greensboro, N.C., and set up a long final day of the regular season.

Brandon Wu holed out from 147 yards on the par-4 11th hole for an eagle, giving him a share of the lead with Sungjae Im at 12 under par. They were through 11 holes. John Huh and Joohyung “Tom” Kim were one shot behind.

Only 12 players finished the round.

Kiradech Aphibarnrat had a 7-under 63 and was at 10-under 200.

The eagle was Wu’s final shot before the second delay of the third round, and players never returned to the course. The third round was to resume Sunday at 7:30 a.m., and players again will go off both tees — and hope for good weather — to get the tournament in.

At stake Sunday in the final event of the regular season is a shot at some bonus money for Im and Will Zalatoris (who had a 66 and was at 7 under) if they can move into the top 10 in the FedEx Cup.

It’s far more important for players to finish in the top 125 and qualify for the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs that start next week. Finishing in the top 125 also secures a full card for the next season, which starts in September.

Most of the drama was Saturday morning, and it involved plenty of heartache for one player. Austin Smotherman was at 1 under and faced a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 8, his 17th hole of the second round. A birdie would have moved the cut to 2-under 138.

But he missed, and then he missed the green on the ninth and wound up with a double bogey. Smotherman, the equivalent of No. 125 in the FedEx Cup, missed the cut and was virtually certain to fall out of the top 125.

The cut stayed at 1-under 139 and featured 87 players for the weekend. The last time that many players made the cut was in 2018 at the Wells Fargo Championship, before the tour instituted a new policy of top 65 and ties.

Having that many players — Hayden Buckley withdrew Saturday morning after making the cut because of a wrist injury — will make it tougher to finish the final round if any poor weather arrives.

Brian Stuard was at 10 under with one hole to play, keeping himself in the mix to climb into the top 125 and retain a full card.

Kim, meanwhile, was hoping to extend his season. The 20-year-old from South Korea, already up to No. 34 in the world, is assured a PGA Tour card for next season. But he can only qualify for the postseason if he wins the Wyndham Championship, which would make him an instant member.

Champions — Kirk Triplett shot a steady 2-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta.

Playing in the final group with Paul Goydos and first-round leader Padraig Harrington, the 60-year-old Triplett moved into the lead with back-to-back birdies on the par-5 11th and par-3 12th. He bogeyed the next hole, then closed with five straight pars to post a two-round total of 7-under 133 at Canyon Meadows.

Triplett is an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions, the most recent in 2019.

Goydos made three birdies on the front nine and his lone bogey on the 13th in his round of 68. He was one shot back along with Jerry Kelly (66), who is third in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup standings. Steven Alker, who has a big lead in the Schwab Cup, is skipping the tournament.

Vijay Singh shot 67 and was two shots back.

Harrington, second in the Schwab Cup, was 4 over through 10 holes but rallied for a 72 and was three shots off the lead along with Dean Wilson, Alex Cejka and John Huston.