Whether he makes it to next weekend's Tour Championship or not, Brandt Jobe has no complaints about his year.
Not after how the last few years have gone.
Jobe broke a bone in his left wrist in 2003 and again the next year, and still can't feel his pinky finger as a result. He cut off the tips of his fingers while sweeping out his garage in 2006, and lost his PGA Tour card in 2009.
He then spent last year playing the Nationwide Tour before earning his way back onto the PGA circuit by finishing in a share of sixth at qualifying school.
''I had some opportunities to make this a great year, but I'm playing in the third leg of the playoffs,'' Jobe said Friday at the BMW Championship. ''I remember where I was and think, `It could be a lot worse. I could not be here.'''
Not only is Jobe still in the hunt for a spot at the Tour Championship, he matched Brendon de Jonge for low round of the day with a bogey-free 64 on Friday.
Jobe is at 3 under for the tournament.
''Yesterday it seemed like I wasn't ever prepared for what I was doing,'' said Jobe, who shot a 4-over 75 on Thursday. ''I didn't hit it bad, but I didn't hit it good. I put myself in a lot of places where I didn't recover and then I didn't putt well.''
That's been his problem for much of the second half of the season. Jobe had three top-10 finishes through June, including a share of second at The Memorial that matched his career-best finish. Since then, however, he's cracked the top 25 only once and has missed two cuts.
''I haven't managed my game well,'' Jobe said.
He was playing so well on Friday, however, he had a shot at the course record of 62 after back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15. But he played his final three holes at even par, just missing a birdie at 18 when his sand shot rolled about a foot past the cup.
''Everything went well today,'' Jobe said. ''Just a very nice, solid round of golf.''
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CUT!: Steve Stricker withdrew from the tournament Friday because of weakness in his left arm that first began to bother him nine months ago.
His withdrawal ends what had been the longest streak of cuts made on the PGA Tour at 40.
Though there is no actual cut at the BMW Championship, the streak ends because Stricker will not finish in the money at Cog Hill.
He's already qualified for next weekend's Tour Championship and plans to play.
He attributed the weakness in his arm to a disk problem in his neck that he first noticed in December while bow hunting.
''The last month or so, I've noticed that it's gotten a little worse,'' he said. ''I put a lot of time in the last three days, and I don't think that's helped. But I'm going to see this doctor on Monday, and hopefully I'll be ready to go.''
Stricker has still managed to have another strong year, winning at the Memorial and the John Deere Classic. He is No. 2 in the Presidents Cup standings and No. 8 in the FedEx Cup.
Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa now owns the longest streak of cuts made with 18.
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BRRR!: Bill Haas is expecting a word from his sponsors.
Haas was so unprepared for the chilly temperatures at the BMW Championships - the high Friday was just 15 degrees Celsius (59 Fahrenheit) - he had to go buy sweaters. The off-the-rack wear may be keeping him warm, but it's doing nothing for his sponsors.
''I'm actually wearing sweaters that don't have any logos on them,'' Haas said. ''I did not pack accordingly. I was not expecting this. My sponsor is probably not too happy with me.''
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Nancy Armour can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour
