EDISON, N.J. — Jordan Spieth lost out on a chance to play the weekend at The Barclays. He also lost his No. 1 world ranking.
Bubba Watson, momentarily distracted Friday by a rare warning for taking too long to play a shot, recovered with a birdie on the 18th hole at Plainfield Country Club for a 2-under-par 68 and a one-shot lead going into Saturday at the opening FedEx Cup playoff tournament.
On an otherwise sleepy afternoon at a course where no one could get some separation, two peculiar moments stood out — a bad time for Watson, bad golf from Spieth.
Trying to rally to make the cut, Spieth hit into a hazard on the 12th hole, and a bogey later became a double bogey when he was penalized one shot for stepping on his ball during the search. He shot a 3-over 73, the first time since the Tour Championship last year that the young Texan had consecutive rounds over par.
Spieth missed the cut by five shots. That means Rory McIlroy, who isn’t playing this week, returns to No. 1.
“I’ve reached that peak already and I know it’s going to be close enough to where if I just get the job done next week, I’ll be back in that ranking,” Spieth said. “But again, that ranking, it’s great once you reach it but it’s not something that I’m going to live or die on each week.”
McIlroy is the 14th player since the world ranking began in 1986 to get to No. 1 without playing that week.
Allison Emrey wins playoff. Allison Emrey made history at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver on Friday, winning the first dual sudden-death playoff in the history of the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open.
Emrey, a native of Charlotte, N.C., birdied the first sudden-death hole (the par-5 18th) to beat Clariss Guce of Aretesia, Calif., for the tournament’s individual championship.
The birdie on the playoff hole also gave Emrey the pro-am championship with her amateur partner, Jeff Dorsey.
Emrey, who finished at 3-under 213 for the three-round tournament, collected $13,800 for her two first-place finishes.
Melissa Martin of Grand Junction was the low amateur finisher (10-over 226).
