DETROIT - With the PGA TOUR regular season nearing its conclusion, the urgency for FedExCup points has reached a boiling point, and several big names won’t be getting any help this weekend at the Rocket Classic. On a scoreable Donald Ross layout at Detroit Golf Club, the cut line fell at 6-under par late into the evening, with a handful of notable players set to fall short of that mark.

Among the most surprising early exits is Max Homa, who posted back-to-back rounds of 71 and 70 to miss the weekend. Despite entering the week with hopes of building momentum heading toward the FedExCup postseason, Homa carded just six birdies across two rounds. It’s another frustrating result in a season where his only top-30 finish came at the Masters in April.

Cam Davis, the event’s defending champion and two-time winner, was a trendy pick to find form on familiar turf, but the Australian never looked comfortable. A first-round 74 left him well off the pace, and his second-round 70 failed to change the narrative. Davis, who began the year with promise, now has just one top-50 finish since April. While still inside the top 50, his FedExCup standing is slipping, and so too is his confidence.

Former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark added another confusing chapter to his up-and-down season. After a promising opening 66, Clark faded badly on Friday, struggling with the driver and losing nearly two strokes off the tee. Even a new L.A.B. putter couldn’t spark the short game, as he dropped over 2.5 strokes on the greens. He’s projected to slide to 78th in the FedExCup standings, now outside the top-70 cutoff required to make the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

Tom Kim, another young star battling form, shot a 76 on Friday to ensure an early exit. Kim entered the week 84th in the FedExCup and now faces increasing pressure to deliver strong finishes in the final few events. While his spot on TOUR is safe due to his status as a tournament winner, a finish outside the top 100 this season is seriously in the realm of possibility.

Will Gordon found himself at the heart of Friday’s most dramatic storyline. Playing on a Major Medical Extension, Gordon needed to earn just 0.6 FedExCup points, which would come with a made cut, to retain his TOUR status for the rest of the season. After birdieing his final two holes to finish at 6-under, Gordon exited the final green in tears, thinking he hadn't done enough to secure his future. The stakes were too high for a missed cut, which would have left him without status and forced him to seek starts via Monday qualifiers or other avenues moving forward.

"It's not in the back of my mind, it's in the very front," Gordon said following his round. "But that's why you play is to put yourself in moments like this, hopefully win golf tournaments. But I'm really proud of myself for executing under that pressure."

Gordon said he wasn't going to look at his phone, but he was likely unable to avoid the barrage of texts and calls informing him that he had made it to the weekend as the dust settled on Round 2.

Other notables

Keegan Bradley and Patrick Cantlay both finished their rounds at 6-under. Bradley narrowly avoids his second missed cut of the year and has an outside chance for back-to-back victories following his win last week at the Travelers.

There were other bright spots on the leaderboard. Gordon Sargent, one of the most decorated collegiate players in recent years whose game experienced well-documented struggles in his final year at Vanderbilt, made his first cut as a professional with a second-round 66. At 7-under, he joins Luke Clanton, another TOUR University Accelerated member, with a weekend tee time. Clanton sits at 11-under, just three shots off the lead. Collin Morikawa also surged with a second-round 64 to enter the weekend at 11-under. He credited a switch to a new mallet putter for his turnaround.

With only a few regular-season events remaining, the chase for a postseason berth is intensifying. For those who missed the weekend in Detroit, time, and FedExCup points, are running out.