NORTON, Mass. – Four months ago, the question was whether Rickie Fowler was winning as much as he should.

Three victories later, no one can question how he wins.

At The Players Championship, he finished birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie and then won a three-hole playoff over Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner. Two months later, he made birdie on three of the last four holes for a one-shot victory over Matt Kuchar and Raphael Jacquelin.

And in the Labor Day finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship, he was flawless on the back nine and rallied from a three-shot deficit to beat Henrik Stenson.

“It’s pretty special to fight it out like that,” Fowler said.

This time, he needed some help. Stenson led the entire round and never looked as though he was going to give Fowler an inch when he ended up giving him a mile on the par-3 16th hole. Stenson hit a towering 7-iron that he though was going to land in the middle of the green. Instead, it hit the front mounding, dropped down to the rocks and bounced into the water for a double bogey.

That effectively was the tournament.

Fowler, who made a 40-foot birdie putt on 14th to pull within one shot, suddenly was two shots ahead with two hole to play. And while he twice failed to convert birdie putts inside 10 feet over the final two holes, he didn’t have to make them. Stenson couldn’t catch him, Fowler closed with a 3-under 68 and a one-shot victory.

It moved him to No. 5 in the world and on the cusp of being part of this year’s “Big Three” – Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler.

“They’ve clearly played the best out of anyone over the past few months to couple of years,” Fowler said. “So I’m trying to be a small fourth thrown in there. But there’s a lot of other really good young players playing well right now, as well.”

Spieth and Day each have four wins, all on the PGA Tour, and three of the four majors. McIlroy has three wins – Dubai, Match Play and the Wells Fargo Championship – and lost some momentum when he missed two months with an ankle injury.

Fowler hasn’t been as consistently good as the other three this year, though he made this much clear on the TPC Boston. Get him near the lead on the back nine, or at least in the final hour of a tournament, and he’s not going to back down.

What stood out from The Players, beyond his three birdies on the island-green 17th (two in a playoff) in one day, was his fearless and free swing when the pressure was at its peak. The 18th at the TPC Sawgrass is one of the toughest in golf, and Fowler split the middle twice in the final round.

Needing a birdie to win at Gullane No. 1 in the Scottish Open, he pounded his drive down the middle that set up birdie.

Clinging to a one-shot lead against Stenson on the par-5 18th, Fowler went with driver with a small margin of error because of the bunkers in the middle of the expansive fairway and trees to the left. He nailed it 341 yards, leaving him a 7-iron for his second shot.

“Luckily, there’s just enough room down there in the neck. I hit it perfect. I made a great swing,” Fowler said. “And it’s nice to be able to look back at The Players and the Scottish Open and remember the drives that I hit there to give me that little boost of confidence when I need it.”

Stenson lost as much as Fowler won.

Whether he had the wrong club (7-iron) or hit it poorly, he came up short and left on a hole with water short and left.

“I obviously pulled the wrong club on 16 and was trying to get the most out of a 7-iron into the wind and ballooned that one a little bit and that was the crucial mistake. Making double there was really a killer,” Stenson said. “I tried to get those two shots back or at least one to force a playoff on the last two holes and couldn’t manage to do it.”

Stenson now has finished runner-up in both FedEx Cup playoff events (he was six shots behind Day at The Barclays), and he has been runner-up four times this year.

The consolation was moving to No. 4 in the FedEx Cup behind Day, Spieth and Fowler, still in the mix for a $10 million bonus at the Tour Championship.

Also still in the running are Hunter Mahan and William McGirt, both moving into the top 70 in the standings to advance to the third playoff event in two weeks. Mahan tied for fourth and kept alive his streak of playing every FedEx Cup playoff event since the series began in 2007. McGirt holed out with a 7-iron for eagle on the 17th hole, and that was enough to extend his season.

NORTON, Mass. – Chris Kirk made his first U.S. team and the International team will have three new players for the Presidents Cup.

The Deutsche Bank Championship was the final qualifying event for determining 10 automatic spots on both teams. There were a few possibilities going into the final round Monday at the TPC Boston, but ultimately no changes.

The next step is for both captains to announce two wild-card selections on Tuesday. Bill Haas finished 11th in the U.S. standings and is getting most of the attention because his father, Jay, is the American captain.

Any other year, he might seem like a logical choice.

“If it’s viewed as a penalty to be his son, then that’s unfair,” Haas said. “Would I be thought of as a good choice if he wasn’t my dad? And if you say, `Yes,’ then I don’t think he should think differently because I’m his son. … It would be amazing to be in the team where my dad is the captain. But I would say it would be amazing if I was in the team with Fred Couples. Just to be part of that team would be unbelievable, to have him be the captain. It’s just cherry on top and something that we would always share.

“But if it doesn’t happen, I totally get it.”

Kirk, who had been out for two months with a hand injury, held down the No. 10 spot. He was assured of making his first team unless Charley Hoffman had won, and Hoffman finished four shots back in third place. The U.S. team was based on FedEx Cup points.

Anirban Lahiri of India, Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand and South Korean-born Danny Lee, who grew up in New Zealand, will be making their Presidents Cup debuts Oct. 8-11 when the matches go to South Korea.

The International team is determined by the world ranking.

Matt Jones of Australia was poised to bump Lee out of the No. 10 spot when he made the turn in the final round of the Deutsche Bank. If he finished alone in third, he would have moved past Lee in the ranking. Jones hit into a hazard on No. 10 and made double bogey, and he made another double bogey on No. 12 to plunge down the leaderboard. That was his last mistake, and he finished in a five-way tie for fourth.

Lee still had to sweat it out. Even though he was ahead of Steven Bowditch in the ranking, the Australian would have passed him in the ranking if Lee finished out of the top 40. Lee made eight bogeys and a double bogey, but managed enough birdies for a 77. He made a 3-foot par putt on the 18th to make the team with one shot to spare.

NORTON, Mass. – Rickie Fowler delivered all the right shots Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship, and then he delivered some champagne.

He stood near the wood railing overlooking a dozen rows of reporters, hoisting an empty bottle in one hand and a microphone in the other.

“Let’s finish off the year right,” Fowler said.

He certainly showed he is capable after a tense duel with Henrik Stenson at the TPC Boston.

Trailing by three shots early on the back nine, Fowler rolled in a 40-foot putt on the 14th hole to pull within one and then seized control when Stenson hit a towering tee shot that came down short and into the water for double bogey on the par-3 16th.

That combination sent Fowler to another big win. He closed with a 3-under 68 for a one-shot victory that assured him of a spot in the top five at the Tour Championship and a clear shot at the $10 million bonus in the FedEx Cup.

Fowler won The Players Championship in a three-hole playoff in May. He won the Scottish Open with three birdies on the last four holes.

“Being in those positions before, I definitely felt very calm out there,” he said. “I knew what I was trying to do. Knew what I had to do. And was very much ready to do it.”

Fowler moved to No. 5 in the world, not quite part of the “Big Three” this year of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, but perhaps on the cusp of it.

“They’ve clearly played the best out of anyone over the past few months to couple of years,” Fowler said. “So I’m trying to be a small fourth thrown in there. But there’s a lot of other really good young players playing well right now, as well.”

Stenson was a runner-up in a FedEx Cup playoff event for the second straight week, and this one figures to sting.

He holed a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 10 for a three-shot lead. And when Fowler hit a bold 5-wood to 10 feet for birdie on No. 11 for a two-shot swing, the Swede answered with a 35-foot birdie on the 12th to restore the cushion to two shots.

It all changed quickly and dramatically on the par-3 16th.

“I obviously pulled the wrong club on 16 and was trying to get the most out of a 7-iron into the wind and ballooned that one a little bit and that was the crucial mistake. Making double there was really a killer,” Stenson said. “I tried to get those two shots back or at least one to force a playoff on the last two holes and couldn’t manage to do it.”

The final hour was every bit as tense as The Players Championship in May, except instead of five players having a chance to win, this was a duel with Stenson the entire back nine. Fowler didn’t make any birdies after his long putt on the 14th, but he didn’t have to. Where he thrived was off the tee and his iron play into the greens. Swinging freely, he was never really out of position until he went just long of the green on the par-5 closing hole with his second shot.

He played it safe with a putter to 10 feet, putting pressure on Stenson to the very end.

Fowler finished at 15-under 269 and moved to No. 3 in the FedEx Cup behind Day and Spieth, with Stenson at No. 4 and Bubba Watson at No. 5.

Charley Hoffman bounced back from a 76 to close with a 67 and finish alone in third.

One of the loudest cheers was for a player who had no chance to win. William McGirt was on the verge of being eliminated from the FedEx Cup when he holed a 7-iron from the fairway on No. 17 for eagle. A par on the 18th hole allowed him to sneak into the top 70 and advance to the third playoff event north of Chicago in two weeks.

Hunter Mahan kept his streak going by closing with a 70 to tie for fourth, moving him from No. 91 to No. 52. Mahan is the only player who has never missed a FedEx Cup playoff event since this series began in 2007. Jerry Kelly made birdie on the last hole for a 72 to get into the top 70. Keegan Bradley also got in.

Two other players imploded on the back nine to end their season.

Kevin Streelman appeared to be safe in the top 70 until he shot 42 on the back nine for a 77. Carlos Ortiz of Mexico had four straight birdies and was making a late bid for Chicago until he took triple bogey on No. 9 and then shot 41 on the back nine for a 71.

There were no changes to the Presidents Cup, though Matt Jones of Australia squandered a great chance. He only needed third place to make the International team, but he made two double bogeys in three holes to start the back nine and finished in a five-way tie for fourth.

Stenson now has been runner-up four times this year without winning, and this was every bit as good a chance to win as Bay Hill.

“It’s in the right direction, for sure,” Stenson said. “Always disappointing when you can’t finish the job when you’re in good position. But you have to take the positives.”

NORTON, Mass. – One 3-wood quickly put Henrik Stenson into the mix at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Another one helped to give him the lead.

Stenson drilled a 3-wood on the 298-yard fourth hole at the TPC Boston that hit into the bank and rolled up to 20 feet for an eagle that allowed him to bolt up the leaderboard. The Swede showed off his supreme strength on the par-5 closing hole with a 3-wood off the tee that left him only a 6-iron into the green for a two-putt birdie that gave him a 6-under 65 and a one-shot lead over Rickie Fowler.

Five shots behind going into the third round Sunday, Stenson made up that deficit in just seven holes. He can only hope to make up that kind of ground on a winless season during the final month of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

“It’s a good time to start playing well,” said Stenson, who was at 13-under 200. “It’s a big event and lots to play for. I’m happy with the progress I made and it gave me a little bit of a confidence boost last week that I had a nice tournament. I hope I can have another one here tomorrow.”

Fowler had a 67, missing out on a chance to share the lead when his 5-iron into the 18th was too strong and he had to scramble to salvage a par.

Sean O’Hair (67) and Matt Jones (68) were two shots behind.

They all took advantage of a collapse by Charley Hoffman, who blazed his way to victory at the TPC Boston five years ago. After opening with a birdie, Hoffman put his second shot into the hazard at the par-5 second hole and made bogey, and it slipped away from there. He shot 41 on front, had five bogeys in a seven-hole stretch and didn’t make another birdie until his last hole for a 76.

Jordan Spieth was headed for a return to No. 1, and he’s not even here after missing his second straight cut.

PGA champion Jason Day would have to win the Deutsche Bank to go to No. 1 in the world, and the Australian finally hit the wall. Day made a double bogey on the reachable par-4 fourth hole and never quite recovered. He had a 73, his first round over par since closing with a 74 at the U.S. Open in June.

“There’s no excuse for poor playing,” said Day, who was nine shots out of the lead. “I just wish I had a little bit more energy.”

Rory McIlroy needs to finish 10th alone to remain No. 1, but he had to birdie his last two holes for a 71. He was 15 shots out of the lead. McIlroy, playing for only the second time since the U.S. Open because of an ankle injury, had made only nine birdies in 54 holes.

The biggest move might have been Hunter Mahan, the only player to never miss a FedEx Cup playoff event since the series began in 2007. Mahan faces elimination this week as only the top 70 advance to the third tournament, and he came in at No. 91. But he found a swing key on the practice, holed some putts and shot a 64 to bolt up the leaderboard into a tie for 11th. He has a chance to at least advance to Chicago in two weeks.

Stenson, however, grabbed most of the attention. He won the Deutsche Bank two years ago, and converted that into a $10 million bonus when he dominated the field at East Lake to win the Tour Championship. The runner-up finish (by six shots) to Day at The Barclays put Stenson in good shape for the FedEx Cup, and this could only help.

It’s a big course that favors big hitters, and Stenson is smashing it at the moment.

He made his move with a 7-iron into 6 feet on the par-3 third, and then drilling a 3-wood that climbed onto the green at the par-4 fourth hole and settled 20 feet away, setting up an eagle. He closed out the front nine with two more birdies, and Fowler was keeping pace behind him.

Stenson kept his cool on the back nine as the putts stopped falling. He missed four good birdie chances from 12 feet or in, but after another big 3-wood off the tee at the 18th, he hit 6-iron to the middle of the green for his two-putt birdie and the lead.

Fowler chipped through the 18th green and his ball got hung up in the rough. He did well to get up-and-down for a par to get in the last group with Stenson.

“He’s a strong, powerful player,” Fowler said. “And obviously, he’s playing well this week to be in the position he’s in. I’m looking forward to the two of us playing well, go head-to-head and seeing if one of us will be the one to come out on top.”

Still in range was Russell Knox, who hit one of the best shots of the week behind the 18th green. From about the spot Fowler was in, Knox drilled a pitch into the hill to kill the speed and watching it trickle down the slope to 3 feet for birdie and a 68 to get within three shots of the lead.

NORTON, Mass. – Jordan Spieth spent most of the summer chasing history. Now he’s chasing the cut line, and losing the battle.

When he walked off the 18th green Saturday at the Deutsche Bank Championship after his only birdie of the second round, Spieth had a 3-over 74 and missed the cut in back-to-back events for the first time in his career.

He has gone 61 consecutive holes without being under par.

Coming off a year in which he won the Masters and U.S. Open and challenged in the final hour of the other two majors, this was a strange sensation.

“Whatever is going on … normally my mental game is a strength of mine. And it’s something I feel like I have an advantage over other players on,” Spieth said. “These past two weeks it was a weakness for me.”

Charley Hoffman, who five years ago closed with a 62 to win on the TPC Boston, made birdie on half of his holes for a 63 that gave him a three-shot lead over Brendon de Jonge after 36 holes. Rickie Fowler (67) and British Open champion Zach Johnson (65) were another shot behind.

The second FedEx Cup playoff event nearly lost the top two players in the world.

Rory McIlroy, who returned to No. 1 last week without playing, needed a par on the final hole to make the cut on the number. He got up-and-down from a bunker and made birdie for a 74 and made it with one shot to spare.

PGA champion Jason Day kept alive his hopes to be No. 1 for the first time with another 68 that left him in a tie for 10th, six shots behind.

It was the fourth straight round over par for Spieth, his longest such streak since he went five consecutive rounds at the British Open and PGA Championship two years ago.

“Who knows what’s going through his head? It’s difficult to say what he’s feeling, what he’s going through emotionally,” said Day, who has played with Spieth the opening two rounds both weeks. “Because it is a lot of pressure for a 22-year-old. It’s very, very hard to reach that No. 1 position and hold it there.”

Even more strange that Spieth leaving early in consecutive weeks is this possible scenario in the world ranking: Spieth still could return to No. 1 after the tournament if Day doesn’t win and McIlroy finishes out of the top 10.

Whatever is going through Spieth’s mind, it didn’t help that he showed up at the TPC Boston already 16 shots out of the lead.

Hoffman made a tap-in birdie on the par-3 11th round early in his second round, poured in four putts from the 12-foot range and three more from inside 5 feet. He traded a bogey with a birdie at the end to reach 12-under 130.

The biggest difference from his previous low round at the TPC Boston was that he left with the trophy. This time, he still has two more rounds before the Labor Day finish.

“It was a little different five years ago,” Hoffman said. “I came from a decent back, so I didn’t have to deal with the lead. Anytime you are in the lead you put a lot of pressure on yourself. And obviously I’ve got to deal with that tonight. … Just try to keep doing what I’m doing, making a lot of putts and hitting a decent amount of fairways for me, which is a nice combo.”

McIlroy is playing for only the second time since the U.S. Open because of an ankle injury, and much like the PGA Championship, his main problem was scoring. He had a pair of three-putt bogeys on the back nine as he started losing shots at an alarming rate until a key drive on the par-5 closing hole set up a birdie.

“I think it shows that I haven’t really played much competitive golf,” McIlroy said. “When I’ve given myself opportunities to get it close, then I’m not making putts. And I think I’ve had three or four three-putts in two days and just haven’t really made anything. So it’s been a bit of a struggle, more mentally, because I’ve just been trying to get something going. And there’s nothing happening.”

Spieth at least assured of being among the top five in the FedEx Cup going into the Tour Championship for a clear shot at the $10 million prize. And he has one more event at Conway Farms outside Chicago in two weeks before that.

“I need to walk with some cockiness in my step these next two tournaments,” Spieth said. “I don’t think I have to fix much in my game other than really work hard on my putting into Conway and then mentally I can control that. I can control walking with the cockiness, whether things are going good or bad, and that’s what you have to have inside the ropes. And I’ll bring it when we get to Chicago.”

At least six players won’t get that far because they were assured of finishing outside the top 70 who advance to the next playoff event.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., finished at 3-over 74 after posting a first-round 73.

NORTON, Mass. –  Brendon de Jonge described his opening round Friday at the Deutsche Bank Championship as coming out of nowhere. Jordan Spieth’s start – his third straight round over par – was becoming far too familiar for him.

De Jonge ran off seven birdies in calming conditions at the TPC Boston for a 6-under 65 that gave him a two-shot lead over nine players, including Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson and Luke Donald.

“It’s been a tough stretch for me the last couple of months, unfortunately,” de Jonge said. “I felt like my game was OK, but the scoring wasn’t. And then, obviously, everything today sort of clicked.”

Jason Day, needing a victory to become No. 1 in the world for the first time, reached 5 under until two bogeys over his final five holes. He had a 68 and was right in the mix. Rory McIlroy, back at No. 1 and playing for only the second time since the U.S. Open because of an ankle injury, had a 70.

The shocker was Spieth.

He was visibly irritated just an hour into his round after two poor irons shots set up bogeys, and his day never got much better. The Masters and U.S. Open champion had eight bogeys in a round of 75, matching his highest start of the year. Coming off a missed cut at The Barclays, he goes into Friday in a tie for 80th. It was the first time since June 2014 that Spieth has had three straight rounds over par.

He left without speaking to reporters.

De Jonge played on the Presidents Cup team two years ago, though he doesn’t consider himself in the mix for the South Korea matches next month, unless he were to win. And that’s the one item – winning on the PGA Tour – that remains on his checklist.

This would be an ideal place. The second FedEx Cup playoff event assures the winner a spot in the top five at the season-ending Tour Championship and a clear shot at the $10 million bonus.

Of the players at 67, the most intriguing was Donald. A former world No. 1, he first had to make sure he got into the top 125 to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, and then last week at The Barclays he had to play his way from No. 119 into the top 100 that got into the TPC Boston. Now at No. 87, the next goal for Donald is to crack the top 70 to get to the third playoff event north of Chicago at Conway Farms, his home course.

“First things first, I’ve got to get to Conway, which is obviously a place I’m very familiar with, my home course up in Chicago,” Donald said. “So keep playing some solid golf I’ll get there.”

Donald said it was tough to make birdies, and those are words rarely spoken on glorious days such as this one at the TPC Boston. A front came through that made temperatures pleasant, though the wind was strong at times in the morning and a few pins were on knobs.

Phil Mickelson, in dire need of a big week to bolster any chance of being picked for the Presidents Cup, had a pair of three-putt bogeys and shot 70.

“It was the most challenging I’ve seen this golf course play, especially given that the greens were very receptive,” Mickelson said. “But I played pretty good golf today. I hit a lot of good shots and I hit a few bad ones, but they weren’t too bad. And it was an OK start.”

Day looked like he might birdie them all after three holes. Ultimately, he knew that 68 was a decent start.

He stuffed his approach on No. 10 to 4 feet. He hit a towering 4-iron to 10 feet for birdie on the par-3 11th. He rolled in a 20-foot birdie on No. 12. And when his birdie putt caught the lip on No. 15, Day flipped his putter into the air in shock. He must have felt he was going to make them all.

“I was making everything I looked at, and then it slowly dried up,” Day said. “It was a very patient day. You can’t get out there and be so disappointed. Once you’re frustrated you’re going to make some mental errors and it’s going to be bad for you.”

NORTON, Mass. – The second FedEx Cup playoff event is all about the Big Three.

And the battle for No. 1.

Rory McIlroy returned to No. 1 in the world even though he skipped opening playoff event last week at The Barclays. That’s mostly about math, and an indication that McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are running nose-to-nose at the moment. Spieth has the easiest road back to No. 1 this week and likely only has to finish ahead of McIlroy.

Jason Day, coming off his six-shot victory at The Barclays, would have to win to have any chance.

The Deutsche Bank Championship gets underway Friday, and at least for the moment, the focus has shifted from the race for the $10 million bonus by winning the FedEx Cup to a world ranking that figures to keep changing over the next few months.

Tee times Friday at the TPC Boston are based on the FedEx Cup standings, meaning Day, Spieth and Bubba Watson will be in the same group for the opening two rounds. McIlroy slipped six spots to No. 15. He will be a couple of group ahead of them alongside Hideki Matsuyama and Kevin Kisner.

The original “Big Three” were Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player – all were represented by IMG founder Mark McCormack.

That led one reporter to ask Day and McIlroy which of the old “Big Three” they best resembled.

And both picked Player.

“He was the smallest,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, I’d probably be Player. Sitting here in 30 year’s time, if I had the career he head, I’d be pretty happy.”

Yes, but how many pushups can McIlroy do?

“Probably not as many as him,” he said.

Day also went with Player, later adding that he hoped to win enough tournaments to rate with Palmer and Nicklaus. Day has six, so he has some work to do.

“It’s funny to look at it that way,” Day said. “This is a totally different era. Back then, these are the guys that put golf on the platform that we’re on today. Arnold changed the way we look at golf. He came out when TV came out and really made golf sexy. Jack with his dominance. And then obviously, Gary being an international player, and also dominant, made a lot of fun golf to be watched.”

Here’s what to watch for Friday:

THE BASICS: Only the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings qualified for the Deutsche Bank Championship, and two players have withdrawn. Sergio Garcia, who also skipped last week, has dropped to No. 43. Wil Wilcox had an injury. He was No. 89, so his season is over.

The magic number for the week is 70. That’s how many players advance to the BMW Championship north of Chicago in two weeks.

For all the talk about the Big Three, Spieth said there were 100 players “fully capable of having four good days and winning this event, and hopefully that can be me.”

The TPC Boston has been favorable to the higher seeds.

Only one winner – Charley Hoffman at No. 59 – outside the top 15 in the FedEx Cup standings has won the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Those are just the winners. A year ago, Geoff Ogilvy was No. 100, had a hot stretch for 27 holes, tied for second and went all the way up to No. 24.

—

THE STREAK: Hunter Mahan, barring a quick turnaround, is on the verge of ending the longest streak in the FedEx Cup era.

Mahan has never missed a playoff event since this lucrative series began in 2007. He was in trouble a year ago, but only briefly. He was No. 62 going into the playoffs and won The Barclays, sending him to one of the coveted top five seeds at the final tournament at East Lake.

Mahan is No. 91 going into the TPC Boston. The streak ends unless he can at least get to No. 70.

—

THE PRESIDENTS CUP: Another streak already has ended.

Phil Mickelson has qualified for every Presidents Cup team since it began in 1994. He was eliminated last week at The Barclays. Even if Lefty were to win the Deutsche Bank Championship, he would not crack the top 10. So his only hope is a win – or at least close to a win – to get one of the two captain’s picks by Jay Haas.

Mickelson has been part of every Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup team since 1994. That’s 20 in a row.

Chris Kirk is holding down the 10th spot, and Bill Haas (No. 11) would need fifth place to have a chance to move past him.

For the International team, Danny Lee is narrowly ahead of Steven Bowditch, with John Senden still in range. That team is decided by the world ranking.

NORTON, Mass. – Phil Mickelson only realized a few days ago his proud streak of qualifying for 20 consecutive teams was over.

Even if he were to win the Deutsche Bank Championship this week, he could not finish among the top 10 players who automatically qualify for the Presidents Cup team. That leaves him one important week to at least make an impression as a captain’s pick.

“I would love to be on the team,” Mickelson said Thursday after his pro-am round at the TPC Boston. “If I can play well this week, hopefully I’ll have a chance to be a pick. And if I do, then I’ll keep playing to try to stay sharp. If I don’t play well this week and I’m not a pick, then I’m not sure what I’ll do hereafter.”

It’s one of the most impressive streak in golf, a testimony to two decades of Mickelson consistently playing at a high level. He qualified for the first Presidents Cup in 1994, and then qualified for every Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup since then.

Tiger Woods was playing his third tournament as a pro during the 1996 Presidents Cup team. He missed the 2008 Ryder Cup with a knee injury and had to rely on a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup in 2010 and the Presidents Cup in 2011.

Jim Furyk played on every U.S. team dating to the 1997 Ryder Cup, a streak that ended when he was left off the 2013 Presidents Cup team.

Mickelson knew he needed a win during the FedEx Cup playoffs and one other good finish. He shot 73 on Sunday and tied for 50th in The Barclays. The Presidents Cup is based on FedEx Cup points. Mickelson is 1,559 points behind the 10th spot, and the most he can earn this week is 1,100 points.

The Presidents Cup is Oct. 8-11 in South Korea.

Mickelson was a runner-up at the Masters, tied for fourth at the Wells Fargo Championship and tied for third at the St. Jude Classic. He also was in the top 20 at two other majors. But he has been finishing middle of the pack at most events, and is in danger of going two straight years without a victory for the first time in his career.

“I think I need to have a good week to show that I’m playing well,” Mickelson said. “Again, it’s been close. I haven’t been playing horrific. I’ve been making cuts and having decent finishes. But I haven’t played to the level that I expect to play. I’d love to put it together this week and be on the team. But you’ve got to play the guys that are going to help you win.”

Eighteen players are ahead of Mickelson in the U.S. standings. Mickelson did not have an answer on what he needed at the TPC Boston to merit a wild-card selection.

“I’m just trying to play well this week and see how it goes,” he said. “I want to be on the team, not only to keep the streak but they’re my favorite weeks – playing with the guys and the match play format. I love being on the team. But if I haven’t played well enough to make it, then I understand that, too.”

He said he has spoken to Haas, and he said Haas has indicated he wants Lefty on the team.

“But from my standpoint, I’ve got to earn it, too,” he said.

Two years ago, Mickelson played the final round at the TPC Boston with 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, who closed with a 62. Spieth was so impressive that day that Mickelson sent a text to U.S. captain Fred Couples that said, “Dude, you’ve got to pick this guy.”

Maybe that’s the kind of performance Mickelson now needs himself.

NORTON, Mass. – Bill Haas is grinding harder than ever in the FedEx Cup playoffs, only the immediate goal has nothing to do with a $10 million bonus.

He wants a chance to play for no money at all.

Haas is No. 11 in the Presidents Cup standings. The Deutsche Bank Championship, which starts Friday, is the final event for the top 10 players to earn automatic spots on the U.S. team for the Oct. 8-11 matches in South Korea.

Haas, who has played on the last two Presidents Cup teams, already gets enough attention for being on the bubble. It gets even more acute because his father, Jay Haas, is the U.S. captain for the first time.

So he wasn’t surprised to be stopped on his way to the putting green Wednesday at the TPC Boston. Nor was he bothered when he was asked Sunday at The Barclays, after closing with a 74 to fall down the leaderboard, whether he was pressing too much because his father is the captain.

His round went south on the 12th hole last week when he tried to play out of a hazard in a bid to make birdie, and he wound up making triple bogey. Haas doesn’t feel any more pressure trying to make the Presidents Cup team as he did trying to make the Ryder Cup team a year ago, or trying to win a tournament.

It’s all part of golf.

“If a 400-pound bear chases you, are you more scared than if a 200-pound bear is chasing you?” he said. “You’re still scared and still running fast as (you can). It stinks that I’m close this year. Then again, if I’m 25th, you’re not asking me the question. So it’s good that you’re asking the question. It’s a good problem.”

Jordan Spieth has been a lock for the team sometime after he collected his two majors this year. He is followed in the standings by Bubba Watson, Jimmy Walker, British Open champion Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar.

Chris Kirk is at No. 10, coming off a hand injury that forced him to miss two majors and a World Golf Championship. He returned to competition last week and missed the cut, and he is the defending champion at the Deutsche Bank.

“I really, really would love to make the team,” Kirk said. “But it’s not like I can go out and hit balls on the range this afternoon, like I’m going to hit an extra bucket of balls so I can make The Presidents Cup team. You just and play and try to play the best you can, and see how it works out.”

Haas would need at least fifth place alone this week to move past Kirk, and the others behind him would have to play even better, such as Houston Open winner J.B. Holmes, Billy Horschel and Brandt Snedeker. Horschel has had only two top 10s since he won the FedEx Cup last year.

Jay Haas will get two captain’s picks, and the players outside the top 10 all seem to know the drill. It’s best to not have it come down to being a pick.

That includes the captain’s son.

Jay Haas was an assistant captain in 2011 when his son was picked. Then again, Bill Haas had just won the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.

“I can’t imagine me trying any less if he wasn’t the captain,” Bill Haas said. “I’m going to do my best. A lot of times, your best isn’t good enough, and sometimes it is. He wants me to make the team like he wanted me to make the Ryder Cup team last year. But he’s also going to choose the player he thinks is best for the team. I don’t think he’s going to tell me, `Bill, you weren’t good enough.’ He’s going to say, `This guy was playing really well and I had to pick him.’

“There won’t be a conversation we’re going to have that’s like, `Why didn’t you pick me, Dad?’ I’m going to understand why he doesn’t. And I’ll understand why he does.”

Brooks Koepka gets a lot of attention as a potential pick, though he missed the cut for only the second time this year at The Barclays. Koepka didn’t see that as overly detrimental because it was his seventh in eight weeks. He found a quiet spot on the beach near Rhode Island to relax for a few days, and then played a practice round Wednesday with Davis Love III, an assistant captain for the Presidents Cup.

Koepka has never been on any bubble, “except maybe in school when I was trying to go from a C to a B.” What will it take to get him on his first U.S. team?

“Win,” he said. “It’s pretty simple.”

NORTON, Mass. – Once among the most popular stops on the PGA Tour schedule, Trump National Doral had more players grumbling than ever. The complaints mainly were that the power players had too big an advantage.

The tour was listening, and so was The Donald.

As part of constant feedback on golf courses, players were allowed to submit their thoughts (signed or anonymous). Those were presented to Trump and work has been underway to make a few changes for next year’s Cadillac Championship.

“I just went over some changes to make it more friendly for guys who hit it my length instead of it being a bomber’s paradise,” said Brandt Snedeker, among those who offered reasonable suggestions. “I think Gil (Hanse) tried to do the right thing to tighten it up, but it’s hard to see how a golf course plays until guys play it. You don’t know what bunkers are in play and out of play.”

The changes are mostly about the bunkers on six holes – Nos. 2, 6, 7, 12, 14 and 17.

The seventh hole was a prime example with two bunkers to the left and another bunker farther out on the right. The fairway sloped toward the right bunker, leaving the medium-length players limited options – a tiny landing zone, playing short of the left bunkers for a longer approach over the water to the green, or seeing their tee shots tumble into a bunker and facing that shot over water.

Andy Pazder, chief of operations for the PGA Tour, said a shorter bunker is being removed and another bunker is being added further out on the left.

“That makes the tee shot more fair,” he said. “And even the long hitters who can’t quite carry the bunkers on the left and still hit 3-wood comfortably.”

That was just one example. The other changes are mainly about covering over some bunkers that were in play only for the medium hitters and extending or moving bunkers that would challenge the longer hitters.

Pazder described the changes as a result of “continuous feedback we’ve received over the last few years after Gil’s redesign.”

“This is designed to create a little more of a level playing field as it relates to those who carry it 300 yards and those who don’t,” he said.

Dustin Johnson won this year. Next on the leaderboard were J.B. Holmes, Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson and Adam Scott.

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MINOR MOVEMENT: Points in the FedEx Cup playoffs are worth four times the value this year, down from five times the value a year ago. The idea was to give players a chance to move up with good play, without making it too volatile.

Here’s how it shaped up after The Barclays:

Henrik Stenson finished alone in second at The Barclays and moved from No. 41 to No. 4, the same change it would have been last year.

Zac Blair started at No. 106, finished in a two-way tie for fourth and moved to No. 45. A year ago, if the player at No. 106 had finished in a two-way tie for fourth at The Barclays, he would have moved to No. 35.

One reason for the change was to avoid someone toward the bottom making too large a jump. Martin Laird was at No. 95 in 2010, was runner-up at The Barclays and shot all the way up to No. 3. Had that happened this year, the No. 95 player would have gone to No. 10.

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CADDIE KNACK: If the American players can’t win the Ryder Cup, maybe their caddies can.

The World Caddie Matches is in the planning stages for next year, a 36-hole event over one day featuring 16 professional tour caddies from the United States against 16 from around the world. It would be fourball matches in the morning, followed by singles in the afternoon.

Steve Hulka, the captain of the U.S. caddie team, says Foxwoods Resort & Casino in Connecticut has offered to host the inaugural event. The draw for matches would be held after the conclusions of The Barclays, and the competition would be the following day.

Mike “Fluff” Cowan is the assistant captain for the U.S. Captains for the caddies from around the world are Gareth Lord (who works for Henrik Stenson) and Mark Fulcher (Justin Rose). Still to be determined is a qualifying process for both teams.

And just like the tours on which they work, the plan is to have a charity component. The idea is for the caddie of each PGA Tour winner starting with the Travelers Championship to donate $500 into a fund, with the caddie for the runner-up donating $300.

Hulka said it could turn into an event played before each Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.

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SMALL MARGINS: The final round of the Wyndham Championship was another example of how thin the margins can be in the FedEx Cup.

Cameron Percy and Vaughn Taylor were not remotely close to getting into the top 125 and qualifying for the playoffs, but the final hour did make a difference. Taylor made bogey on three of his last four holes to finish at 6-under 274, two shots behind Percy, who played that stretch at 2 over and finished two shots ahead.

Percy wound up No. 150 in the FedEx Cup with 360.773 points, just ahead of Taylor at 360.667 points.

But the FedEx Cup bonus structure pays out to 150th place. By finishing sixth-thousandths of a point ahead, Percy got $32,000. More than money, he has conditional status on the PGA Tour next year, and full status on the Web.com Tour for the weeks he doesn’t get into PGA Tour events.

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DIVOTS: Sam Horsfield of England has withdrawn from the Walker Cup because of personal reasons. He was replaced by Ewen Ferguson of Scotland. … Jon Rahm of Spain, a senior at Arizona State, won the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He is the first Spaniard to win the award, and provided he stays an amateur, will be exempt into the U.S. Open and British Open. Rahm tied for fifth at the Phoenix Open this year. … Players hoping for a hole-in-one might stand a better chance with Scott Tway as the caddie. He works for Brian Harman, who made two aces Sunday at The Barclays. And he was working for brother Bob Tway when he made two aces in the same tournament at the 1994 Memorial. … Jeff Maggert and amateur Trip Kuehne are among those to be inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame on Oct. 12 in San Antonio.

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STAT OF THE WEEK: Jason Day has four PGA Tour wins this year, the most by an Australian in one year since Jim Ferrier won five times in 1951.

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FINAL WORD: “I would have made a fortune on the Champions Tour this year.” – Kevin Chappell, who had at least one round of 75 or worse in seven tournaments this year. Champions Tour events typically are 54 holes.