Possiblities are endless as battle for FedExCup begins
By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
Another big event, another week where everyone's keeping an eye on Tiger Woods.
And why not? He comes into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup with nearly a 1,300-point advantage over second place Steve Stricker and more than a 1,400-point cushion on Zach Johnson, who's third. Heck, he's more than 2,000 points ahead of 112 players in the first field.
But will he blitz the Playoffs the way he did in 2007? Maybe yes. Maybe no. Mostly, maybe.
Yes, the man who makes news by just stepping out of his car in a parking lot could run the tables. He's won on three of the four playoff courses -- he's won four times at Cog Hill, site of the BMW Championship, and finished second twice -- and he's won five times this year. Just not a major.
But if he doesn't? Well, after one more tweak of the point system -- it was too soft the first year; too hard the second -- the door is open for at least a handful of players to go into THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola with a chance to win the third FedExCup.
And it doesn't necessarily have to be Tiger and a pack that includes Mickelson, Johnson, Steve Stricker and defending FedExCup champ Vijay Singh.
The goal is making it into the final 30 for the musical chairs finale at East Lake in five weeks. But just getting to this dance could mean an opportunity to turn a good season into a very good one for players like Ryan Moore, Kevin Stadler and Chris Riley. Or it could take a major career to a new level.
Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink, Angel Cabrera and Y.E. Yang could all follow up their major championships by punching their tickets to Atlanta, which, incidentally, is Cink's hometown and not far from Glover's home in Greenville, S.C. Glover, the U.S. Open champ, and Yang, who grabbed the PGA Championship away from Tiger, have a bit of an advantage right now -- Glover is fifth in the standings; Yang seventh -- but that could all change in a heartbeat.
Glover's game remains in high gear. He followed up the U.S. Open win with a tie for 11th at the Travelers Championship, then added a share of fifth at the AT&T National and a solo fifth at the PGA Championship. Assuming he stays on a roll with football season opening -- he's a rabid Clemson fan -- he should be an Atlanta lock.
Cink finished sixth in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in his first event after Turnberry, but closed poorly at the PGA. He does need to play well -- he starts at 15th in the standings -- but making the top 30 shouldn't be a problem.
Yang? We'll see how he follows up the PGA. And Cabrera? Despite a limited schedule, he's played solidly since winning the Masters, but he has the farthest to come, starting at 27th.
Two things you can count on -- Stricker and Camilo Villegas being there at the end. Stricker, who has two wins this year and is second to Tiger on the points list, won the first Playoffs event two years ago and has been in the mix since. The 2007 Barclays champ -- he won at Westchester Country Club -- finished second to Tiger in 2007.
Villegas started outside the top 30 last year, won the BMW Championship and THE TOUR Championship to finish second to Singh in the overall race. He's plodded along this season and enters the Playoffs in the 35th spot, but don't be surprised to see him make news for much more than his eclectic fashion sense. He has six top-10 finishes in his eight Playoff starts.
Most seasons, Mickelson would be a huge presence in the Playoffs, but this isn't most seasons. He has played sparingly since his wife Amy and mother Mary were diagnosed with breast cancer this spring, but he did finish just behind Glover at Bethpage. He'll put everything he has into the Playoffs -- and he starts off at Liberty National, where he's a member -- but the emotions of this year are the question mark.
Sergio Garcia has stumbled through this season, but showed signs of a turnaround last week at the Wyndham Championship. He's got the longest way to go -- he's 89th in the standings -- but like Villegas, he tends to step up in the Playoffs. He's placed in the top 10 the last two years and another big finish could save this season and jumpstart 2010.
Mike Weir and Jim Furyk? Mark them down. Neither former major champ has won this year and both love the Playoffs. Weir hated missing the last two Playoff events in '07and made up for it last year. Furyk has contended both years.
An interesting thought? Moore, who won last week's Wyndham Championship. He's anything but conventional and, after winning his first PGA TOUR event Sunday, he could take off. The former U.S. Amateur champ -- actually he ran the amateur tables in 2004 -- has been limited by injuries, but still managed a handful of top-10s every year. Could the win in Greensboro launch a new chapter in his career?
If Stadler and Riley can shake off their playoff loss to Moore, they've both got chances to climb the Playoffs ladder. And then there are players like Harrison Frazar, Chris DiMarco, Matt Bettencourt and Ben Curtis. All are among those ranked 100th or higher who'll be playing for survival. Only the top 100 make it to next week's Deutsche Bank Championship.
The biggest question will be this new and improved points system. Will it provide enough movement in the first three events to shake things up going into the final event? Will the reset going into THE TOUR Championship give all 30 players a shot? Or will Tiger run the table again?
Like we said, it could be mostly maybe, which means Tiger will be -- as always -- the man to watch.
But we'll also keep an eye out for the next Stricker or Villegas. For a Glover or Cink to find a second wind. For someone we don't expect to step up and surprise us.
Melanie Hauser is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
Shop your favorite brand name golf equipment and accessories at SHOP.PGATOUR.COM
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network