Friday cut line: The Barclays

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PARAMUS, N.J. -- The way Patrick Sheehan saw it, he crossed one hurdle on Friday.

The 70 he shot in the second round of The Barclays left him well within the cut line -- which was particularly important for the man who stood 120th in the standings entering the first event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

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Fred Couples missed the cut and is the man on the bubble at No. 120 in the projected standings.

Sheehan is guaranteed to earn points now so the only way he can go is up in the standings at the end of this week. That's key since only the top 120 players advance to next week's Deutsche Bank Championship.

Fourteen other players who stood between Nos. 121-144 also made the cut, which did not guarantee, but certainly enhanced, their chances of playing at TPC Boston next week. They must jockey for Playoff position, as well as shares of the $7 million purse, over the weekend, though.

But seven players -- Chris DiMarco, Jon Mills, Jason Gore, Joe Durant, Tom Lehman, James Driscoll and David Toms -- can now make plans for an extended vacation. All started the Playoffs ranked below 120 and failed to make the cut.

Not to mention, the TOUR's FedExCup guru, Steve Dennis, feels that anyone ranked 100th or higher who didn't make the cut is in danger of being eliminated from the Playoffs.

So Greg Kraft, Mark Calcavecchia, Matt Jones, Shane Bertsch, Joe Ogilvie, Tim Wilkinson, Zach Johnson, Vaughn Taylor, Charles Warren and Dustin Johnson will no doubt be looking at the projected points as the final two rounds unfold.

The man on the bubble after two rounds now is Fred Couples, who started the week at No. 89 but shot 5 over and missed the cut. He was projected at No. 121 until Jon Mills made double on the second hole and dropped below the cut line.

Positive movers

Michael Allen -- He gave himself a chance to advance in the Playoffs when he shot a 67 Friday to move from a tie for 89th to a tie for 21st at 2 under. Allen started the tournament ranked No. 134 in the FedExCup.

Jeff Overton -- Another player who now has the opportunity to advance to the Deutsche Bank Championship, Overton started The Barclays ranked No. 142 in the FedExCup. The 67 he shot Friday moved him from a tie for 102nd to a tie for 36th.

Jason Day -- The young Aussie fired a 68 that enabled him to jump from a tie for 102nd to a share of 44th. Participating in the Playoffs for the first time, he was in potential no-man's land, ranked 102nd.

On the number

Eric Axley -- He shot 65, the second best round of the day, to move from a tie for 134th to make the cut on the number at 1 over. He is 99th in the FedExCup standings.

Tim Petrovic -- He started the Playoffs ranked No. 126 but now has a chance to advance another week despite a round of 1 over that left him on the cut line at 1 over. He was tied for 45th when the second round began.

Richard S. Johnson -- The Swede used a round of 2 under to move from up a tie for 102nd and make the cut on the number. This was another crucial jump since he is 127th in the FedExCup.

Negative movers

Tom Lehman -- The former British Open champion shot 2 over on Friday and fell one stroke shy of making the cut. At 125th in the FedExCup standings, he'll now have a few weeks off.

Adam Scott -- He's in no danger of being eliminated from the Playoffs, but Adam Scott's 82 certainly wasn't the sendoff he wanted as the Deutsche Bank Championship looms next week. The Aussie, who ranks 24th in the FedExCup, fell from a tie for eighth to miss the cut.

Aaron Baddeley -- Another Aussie was sitting pretty in the FedExCup at No. 45. But he's sure to drop in the standings after falling from a tie for 14th and missing the cut after Friday's 75.