Lowry, who had not missed a cut since the American Express in late January, failed to make a putt longer than 5 feet at the weather-postponed event in Greensboro and added a score of 68 (two under par) to his first 70 strokes.
At two under par, he will miss the four under par cut when the remaining 20 players still on the course Saturday night finish their second rounds early this morning.
The good news for Lowry is that he can keep his one million dollar bonus for finishing tenth in the FedExCup rankings at the end of the regular season.
With the dangerous Akshay Bhatia and Robert MacIntyre missing the cut, Lowry will remain in 10th place in the Comcast Business Tour’s top 10 unless Brian Harman or Christiaan Bezuidenhout, both of whom are tied for 46th at four under par with power, win.
The Comcast Business Tour Top 10 rewards the season performance of the top 10 players in the FedExCup rankings at the end of this week’s FedExCup regular season, with the group sharing a $40 million bonus; the top-ranked player received $8 million and the 10th-ranked player received $1 million.
Those who make the cut must finish in the top 70 in three FedExCup rankings to qualify for the first playoff event next week, the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
Power was 69th in the standings entering the week, but after following up a late first-round 66 with a 70, he is expected to drop to 70th and will need a solid final 36 holes to avoid missing the playoffs and being forced to compete in fall season events.
After Thursday’s first round was canceled due to Tropical Storm Debby, Power faces a marathon on Sunday and officials hope to complete the remaining 36 holes today.
The third round is scheduled to begin at 12:50 Irish time. Players will hit three balls each from split tees.
The tour believes the final round will have to start at 8:10 p.m. Irish time if it is to have any chance of completing the 72 holes today.
It will be a long day for Matt Kuchar (46), who shot a 64-stroke result (six under par) for the second consecutive year and is now 12 strokes ahead of Chad Ramey, Max Greyserman and Cameron Young as he seeks the victory he needs to become the first player to participate in all 17 editions of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
He started the week 111th in the season standings, but needs a win to extend his streak to 18.
“I really don’t think about it too much,” Kuchar said of the scoring projections and what he needs to do. “Look, I try to play well every week. That doesn’t always work out, but I’m glad it worked out this week.”
“I told someone yesterday that I don’t focus on my point position, on where I stand. I just don’t know how that helps me play good golf.”
Kuchar is one of many men who need a nice Sunday.
Victor Perez, who was expected to remain in 71st place after shooting a 69 and five under par to finish 26th, must make up two strokes and finish at least 15th to advance.
Chad Ramey, ranked 106th, must win.
Power, on the other hand, needs to climb up the rankings on the final day to avoid last-minute drama.
