This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
The field of 70 is now solidified heading into the upcoming BMW Championship at Conway Farms GC, while a trio of superstars in Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson have pulled ahead in the FedExCup race with just two events remaining in the playoffs. Before the bye week, we saw Thomas surge throughout his back nine at the Dell Technologies Championship en route to victory while Spieth finished runner-up for a second consecutive week. We'll now take a look at several trending players as the top-70 have their sights set on qualifying for the TOUR Championship at East Lake.
VALUE RISING
Justin Thomas
Thomas ascended to a career-high fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking after notching his fifth win of the 2016-17 PGA Tour season at last week's Dell Technologies Championship. The 24-year-old's ability to bounce back from a streak of three consecutive missed cuts from the Travelers Championship through the British Open has been remarkable, maintaining his name atop the list of candidates for Player of the Year. As the $10M top prize remains within reach, Thomas sits just 27 FedExCup points behind leader Jordan Spieth with two events remaining.
Paul Casey
The dreaded win drought continues for Casey, but he's finished no worse than T13 in his last six starts, currently ranked eighth in the FedExCup standings. He posted a pair of top-fives in the first two legs of the playoffs, while he's second in SG: Ball Striking and fourth in SG: Tee-to-Green among the upcoming BMW Championship field throughout his last 12 rounds. The Englishman is on pace to finish top-25 in the FedExCup race for the third consecutive season, and his spot in the TOUR Championship won't be in danger next week at Conway Farms GC.
Patrick Reed
Reed has essentially played his way into the TOUR Championship late in the season with finishes of T6-T20-T2 in his last three events dating back to the PGA Championship in mid-August. Making up for below-average performances off the tee as of late, Reed ranks second in SG: Around-the-Green and eighth in SG: Putting throughout his past 12 rounds. With the Presidents Cup just around the corner, Reed appears to be gaining momentum at just the right time.
VALUE FALLING
Francesco Molinari
A missed cut at the Northern Trust followed by a T61 at the Dell Technologies Championship has Molinari on the outside looking in when it comes to the top-30 of the FedExCup standings. He ranks just 55th out of 70th among the BMW Championship field in terms of SG: Total throughout his last eight rounds, so his chances at qualifying for East Lake don't look promising.
Billy Horschel
Sitting at 38th in the FedExCup race, Horschel's season will be in jeopardy at the BMW Championship as he looks to make a late push for East Lake. It'll be no easy task after posting MCs at both the Northern Trust and Dell Technologies to begin his playoff campaign. Horschel must make improvements with his irons, given the fact that he's 69th out of 70th among the BMW field in SG: Approach throughout his past eight rounds.
Charles Howell III
Dating back to a missed cut at the Open Championship in July, Howell has finished no better than T62 in his last four starts while descending to 35th in the FedExCup standings. Gaining strokes around the green has been his only hope as of late, while he ranks a brutal 162nd in driving accuracy this season.
INJURY UPDATE
Brandt Snedeker (ribs)
The injury bug has officially ended Snedeker's 2016-17 campaign as he fell outside of the top-70 following an absence at the Dell Technologies Championship. It remains unclear just how long his rib injury will keep him sidelined, so his status for the beginning of the 2017-18 season could be in question.
Ryan Moore
Moore withdrew from last week's Dell Technologies Championship after a first-round 82 due to an undisclosed reason, but he retained his positioning inside the top-70 and plans to return at next week's BMW Championship. Whatever forced him to WD last week appears to have been a minor issue, though his chances at making the TOUR Championship are not favorable at this point.
