THE TOUR Championship player capsules: 1-10

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The PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup has reached its final stage, with 30 players advancing to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola this week at East Lake. Here's a look at each of the 30 players:
THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD: 1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30

Singh

After a pedestrian beginning to his 2008 season (by his standards), the 45-year-old World Golf Hall of Fame member broke through in August, becoming the oldest player to win a World Golf Championships event after taking the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. The Big Fijian got hot at the perfect time and carried the momentum into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. He recorded impressive back-to-back victories at The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship. And his T44 at the BMW Championship essentially guaranteed that he will be this year's FedExCup Champion.

Singh's victory at The Barclays was especially dramatic, as he dueled Sergio Garcia down the stretch. After Garcia sank a long putt on the first playoff hole, it looked like the young Spaniard might taste victory. But Singh made his 27-foot birdie putt to extend the playoff where he would win on the next hole (the other playoff participant, Kevin Sutherland, was eliminated on the first hole). Singh will step up to the first tee at East Lake Golf Club for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola with 34 PGA TOUR wins, the most by an international player in TOUR history. His 22 victories since turning 40 is also a record.

Villegas

No one has ever questioned that Camilo Villegas' talent, desire and work ethic could one day make him one of the top players on the PGA TOUR. But as Villegas approached the end of his third full season, all that potential had yet to produce a victory. The 26-year-old began the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FexExCup ranked No. 42 in the standings. After a missed cut at The Barclays moved him back to No. 68, Villegas had plenty of work to do to have a chance at making the field for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. A T3 at the Deutsche Bank Championship moved him up to No. 25 and put East Lake Golf Club back on his radar.

All of the hard work finally paid off for Villegas at the third playoff event, the BMW Championship, where the Colombian star won his first PGA TOUR event by two strokes over Dudley Hart. Villegas now heads to THE TOUR Championship No. 2 in the FedExCup standings.

Garcia

Sergio Garcia has had a season of both great success and near misses. He ended the longest victory drought of his career by making a clutch par putt to force a playoff at THE PLAYERS Championship and then hit the island-green 17th on the first extra hole to defeat Paul Goydos for his seventh career PGA TOUR victory. His first victory in three years and 53 PGA TOUR events was keyed by leading the field in Driving Accuracy and Greens in Regulation.

The 28-year-old Spaniard later finished runner-up to Padraig Harrington at the PGA Championship, his third runner-up finish in a major championship event. He was tied with Harrington with two holes remaining, and finished par-bogey to Harrington's birdie-par conclusion. In his next start and the first event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, he lost on the second hole of a playoff at The Barclays to Vijay Singh. Garcia made a 27-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole only to be topped by Singh's 26-footer to extend the playoff. A T5 at the Deutsche Bank Championship at the second Playoffs event kept Garcia second in the FedExCup standings.

Furyk

Let's get it out in the open. Jim Furyk hasn't won in 2008. The 38-year-old Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., resident has, however, been a top-10 machine in 2008. In 25 events, he has made 22 cuts and recorded 8 top- 10 finishes. This type of success was highlighted during a three-tournament run in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

Furyk began the playoffs ranked No. 14 in the FedExCup standings, but three finishes inside the top 12 moved him up 10 spots to No. 4. To use a football analogy, this Pittsburgh Steelers fan has been in the red zone for most of the 2008 season, and perhaps at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, he will be able to cross the goal line.

Weir

Growing up in Canada, Mike Weir couldn't help becoming a fan of hockey. At the start of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, Weir took to heart (or to face) some advice that hockey great Wayne Gretzky gave him during a PGA TOUR PSA and grew a "playoff beard" for good luck. The beard paid off and Weir has moved from No. 41 at the beginning of the Playoffs to No. 5 after three events.

The 13-time PGA TOUR winner followed a T7 at The Barclays with runner-up finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship to make THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola field for the first time since 2004.

Kim

It has been a breakthrough season for Anthony Kim, who turned 23 in June. With a five-stroke victory over Ben Curtis at the Wachovia Championship at the age of 22, Kim became the youngest winner since Sergio Garcia won his third PGA TOUR title at the 2002 Mercedes-Benz Championship. Kim then captured his second TOUR title with a two-stroke victory over Fredrik Jacobson at the AT&T National with rounds of 67-67- 69-65--268. The last two players with multiple TOUR victories in one season under the age of 24 were Adam Scott (2004), who won THE PLAYERS Championship and the Booz Allen Classic at the age of 23, and Sergio Garcia (2001), who won the MasterCard Colonial and the Buick Classic at age 21.

Kim's 2008 campaign has brought him many firsts for his PGA TOUR career, including his first top-10 in a major championship with a T7 at the British Open, his first selection to the U.S. Ryder Cup Team (in which he helped lead the Americans to a win over Europe, beating Sergio Garcia in the leadoff match of Sunday Singles) and now his first entry in THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. With a victory at East Lake Golf Club, Kim could chalk up another milestone by becoming the youngest winner in tournament history.

Leonard

Beginning in the fall last year and continuing throughout the 2008 season, Justin Leonard has been one of the most consistent golfers on the PGA TOUR. The 35-year-old has only missed one cut in his last 29 events, dating back to last year's Deutsche Bank Championship. During that span, Leonard has 10 top-10 finishes, a runner-up finish at the 2008 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and victories at the 2007 Valero Texas Open and the 2008 Stanford St. Jude Championship.

All of that success has moved him from No. 158 in the Official World Golf Ranking during the 2007 season to No. 23 now. He took this consistency and rolled with it into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, recording back-to-back T7 finishes at The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Choi

K. J. Choi's season got off to a quick start with a win in his second event at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Choi, who has seven career wins on the PGA TOUR, has now won at least one event in each of the past four years, joining Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh with active streaks that long.

Choi finished inside the top 25 in all three Playoff events, saving his best finish (T5) for the BMW Championship to move into the top 10 in the FedExCup standings.

Mickelson

A model of consistency is the best way to describe Phil Mickelson's 2008 PGA TOUR season. Of his 20 starts this season, the popular lefthander has finished outside of the top 25 just two times -- a missed cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and a T73 at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Victories at the Northern Trust Open and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial -- the 33rd and 34th of his career -- helped Mickelson reach a milestone this season by surpassing $50 million in career earnings.

Despite going winless in the four major championships -- a T5 at the Masters Tournament was his best showing -- a win at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola would go a long way toward making Mickelson's season one to remember. It wouldn't be the first time he has tasted success at East Lake Golf Club -- having won the 2000 TOUR Championship.

Curtis

Despite not stepping into the winner's circle in 2008, Ben Curtis has enjoyed a career-year on the PGA TOUR. A quick look at the statistics will tell you why, including career-best numbers in the following categories: top-10 finishes (4), top-25 finishes (7), cuts made (17) and earnings ($2,335,798).

The season couldn't have started any worse for the 2003 British Open champion. In his first nine starts, he missed three cuts and posted just one top-40 finish -- a T15 finish at the Puerto Rico Open. A runner-up finish at the Wachovia Championship changed that trend, however, as he posted four top-10 finishes in his final 12 starts of the season.

He'll enter THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola seeking to improve on his current 10th place slot on the FedExCup points list. It will mark just his second appearance at the tournament -- having finished in 21st place here in 2006.

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