Marc Leishman is in the hunt but countryman Adam Scott's hurried return from Australia proved fruitless as he bombed out of the US PGA Tour playoffs at the second event in Boston
Leishman is tied sixth in the Dell Technologies Championship, three shots behind young Spanish star John Rahm (66) who is nine under par at the halfway point.
Having started the day in second place, he was slowed by three back nine bogeys in his second round at TPC Boston.
Scott missed the opening playoffs event in New York last week to be with his wife in Australia for the birth of their second child, son Byron.
Returning ranked 73rd in the points standings, he needed a strong performance to get inside the top 70 to advance to the third of the four playoffs events but didn't get it.
The 2013 Masters champion missed the cut at four-over 146 after a 75 and will not make it to the third leg for just the third time in his career.
Fellow Australian Jason Day shot a second round 69 to be tied for 57th, while Rod Pampling is in a tie for 69th at three over and Cameron Smith missed the cut.
World No.5 Rahm carded six birdies and an eagle on Saturday to be two shots clear of a group of four players - American duo Kyle Stanley and Kevin Streelman, England's Paul Casey and Canada's Adam Hadwin.
Joining Scott in an early exit was fellow former world No.1 Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut as the defending champion for only the second time in his career.
McIlroy will still advance to the BMW Championship, though he will need a top finish to get to East Lake for the Tour Championship.
That's no longer a concern for Rahm. He is No.5 in the points standings, already assured of going the distance and now has a very clear goal over the next few weeks - the $US10 million ($A13 million) bonus that comes from winning the season-long FedEx Cup.
"I think we all have the same goal in the next few weeks, which is the FedEx Cup," he said with a smile.
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