Jul. 3, 2008
When it comes to the FedExCup, the players on the PGA TOUR understand one important thing -- finishing the regular season in the top 30 in points is the best way to position themselves for the Playoffs and the $10 million first prize that awaits the champion.
Last year, going into the final event of the Playoffs -- THE TOUR Championship -- six players had a mathematical chance to win the FedExCup. All six were top 30 seeds entering the Playoffs.
Even with the revised point system that is in effect for this season, 12 players -- all top 30 seeds -- would have had a mathematical chance to win the Cup that was eventually claimed by Tiger Woods last year.
Meanwhile, no top 30 seed who made the cut in the first two Playoff events missed THE TOUR Championship, which is limited to 30 players.
Thus, the importance of being in the top 30 cannot be overstated. Here's how it breaks down for those players participating in this week's AT&T National. (For more on the FedExCup, click here. For current FedExCup standings, click here.)
| Currently in the top 30 |
| Ryuji Imada |
6 |
10,854 |
Anthony Kim |
10 |
9,080 |
| Robert Allenby |
11 |
8,367 |
K.J. Choi |
12 |
7,934 |
| Trevor Immelman |
13 |
7,831 |
J.B. Holmes |
15 |
7,463 |
| Jeff Quinney |
16 |
7,277 |
Steve Stricker |
19 |
6,848 |
| Bart Bryant |
20 |
6,755 |
Sean O'Hair |
21 |
6,754 |
| Jim Furyk |
22 |
6,550 |
Andres Romero |
26 |
5,987 |
| Steve Lowery |
28 |
5,890 |
Hunter Mahan |
30 |
5,746 |
|
| Can move into the top 30 with ... |
| A top-10 finish (current rank) |
| Rod Pampling (31) |
Brian Gay (34) |
Stuart Appleby (35) |
| Johnson Wagner (38) |
Brandt Snedeker (40) |
Aaron Baddeley (43) |
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| A top-5 finish |
| Mike Weir (44) |
Ben Crane (45) |
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| A top-3 finish |
| Dudley Hart (46) |
Camilo Villegas (48) |
Tommy Armour III (49) |
| Steve Marino (50) |
Pat Perez (51) |
Ryan Moore (52) |
| Mathew Goggin (53) |
Rocco Mediate (54) |
Paul Goydos (55) |
| Steve Elkington (56) |
Nicholas Thompson (57) |
Kevin Sutherland (58) |
| John Merrick (59) |
Matt Kuchar (60) |
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| A top-2 finish |
| Cliff Kresge (61) |
Tom Pernice Jr. (62) |
Peter Lonard (64) |
| John Senden (65) |
Charles Howell III (66) |
John Mallinger (68) |
| Jonathan Byrd (69) |
Corey Pavin (71) |
Tim Clark (73) |
| Fred Couples (74) |
Greg Kraft (76) |
Billy Mayfair (77) |
| Matt Jones (79) |
Lucas Glover (80) |
Nick O'Hern (82) |
| Troy Matteson (83) |
Alex Cejka (85) |
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| A win |
| Parker McLachlin (87) |
Nick Watney (88) |
Charley Hoffman (89) |
| John Rollins (90) |
Tim Wilkinson (91) |
George McNeill (92) |
| Charlie Wi (93) |
Bill Haas (94) |
Mark Wilson (96) |
| Ken Duke (97) |
Dean Wilson (98) |
Steve Flesch (99) |
| Fredrik Jacobson (101) |
Charles Warren (103) |
Joe Ogilvie (104) |
| James Driscoll (105) |
Jason Day (107) |
Shane Bertsch (109) |
| Bo Van Pelt (110) |
Kevin Streelman (111) |
Brian Davis (112) |
| Joe Durant (113) |
Tim Petrovic (114) |
Michael Allen (118) |
| Vaughn Taylor (119) |
Frank Lickliter II (121) |
Chez Reavie (122) |
| Bob Estes (123) |
Jesper Parnevik (125) |
Tim Herron (126) |
| Tag Ridings (128) |
Jason Gore (129) |
Kevin Stadler (131) |
| Brett Rumford (132) |
Erix Axley (133) |
Marco Dawson (134) |
| Brad Adamonis (135) |
Justin Bolli (137) |
Gavin Coles (138) |
| Patrick Sheehan (139) |
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