Harrington's FedEx Cup headache

Padraig Harrington drives on the 18th - his ninth hole - at Firestone Country Club on Saturday. Picture by Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.iePadraig Harrington could struggle to make the top 125 who qualify for the first event of the FedEx Cup play-off series after a third round 73 left him tied for 57th in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club.

The 39-year old Dubliner, who was ranked 128th starting the week, is projected to move up just two spots to 126th if he maintains his current position in Akron.

Of course, he will have another chance to move up the table in next week’s US PGA at Atlanta Atheltic Club, where he has been drawn with Tiger Woods and Davis Love for the first two rounds.

But if he continues to drive the ball as poorly as he has in Ohio this week - only Tiger Woods, Jhonattan Vegas and Stewart Cink have been more wayward - he could struggle to make the cut in the final major of the season.

Even if he sneaks inside the top 125 after Atlanta, he could be forced to enter the final counting Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina in order to secure his place in play-offs which begin with The Barclays at Plainfield Country Club in New Jersey from August 25-28.

Ernie Els, Woods, former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and England’s Paul Casey are all outside the top 125 right now.

But there is a silver lining to Harrington’s cloud.

He has already played 13 PGA Tour events this season which means that with the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship, he will have fulfilled his 15-tournament obligation to the PGA Tour and will not have to add Fall Series events to his schedule should he fail to qualify for the FedEx Cup play-offs.

Guess they call that forward planning.