Sips of Maginnes: Gillis' run, return of Vijay and more

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In the span of nine months, Tom Gillis has gone from Nationwide Tour graduate to FedExCup contender.

NORTON, Mass. -- Kris Blanks, who started the week 91st in FedExCup points, made a valiant run at TPC Boston in the first event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

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He birdied his final two holes on Monday to shot 70 and finish the Deutsche Bank Championship at 8 under. He vaulted 19 spots up the FedExCup points list but still came up two points short of advancing to the BMW Championship. Turns out, one more birdie or one less bogey would have been worth another 18 FedExCup points for Kris.

To add insult to injury, the man Kris ended up trailing by two points in the season-long competition is Scott Verplank who withdrew from the Deutsche Bank Championship during the second round with a wrist injury but still ended up 70th. Even if Verplank can't play at Cog Hill, though, his spot will not be filled in the field. There are no alternates in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

AFTER SPENDING FIVE years on the European Tour, Tom Gillis went to q-school in 2002 with the mindset that he was either going to earn a long-awaited PGA TOUR card or find some other way to make a living. He did earn his card that year but was unable take full advantage of his good fortune. Tom was back on TOUR in 2005 and again this year, but no one really noticed until Monday.

The hard road to success on the PGA TOUR is finally paying off for the well-traveled 42-year-old, though. With a pair of 65s on the weekend Tom made a huge move on both the leaderboard and the FedExCup standings. His tie for fifth was a career high and he heads to Chicago ranked 48th in the FedExCup.

Another good week and Tom may well be on his way to Atlanta, too. A trip to Atlanta would also secure his first-ever appearance in the Masters next spring, as well as spots in the U.S. Open and British Open.

THE 10TH HOLE AT TPC BOSTON is a benign-looking straightaway par 4 that measures a meager 425 yards. For most of the game's best it is not even a driver off the tee. The problem is that if you miss the fairway you are probably making a bogey. Phil Mickelson played the hole 4 over for the week, including a triple bogey on Sunday that knocked him out of contention.

STEVE MARINO WAS THE MOST obvious victim in the Playoffs at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Marino was in good shape to advance with seven holes left to play on Monday. But a bogey at No. 12 and a double bogey at No. 15 followed by two more bogeys coming home dropped Marino down to a tie for 40th which would not earn him enough points to slide into the BMW Championship. There is true jeopardy in these Playoffs.

Singh

AN EVEN-PAR 71 WAS GOOD enough for Vijay Singh to advance to the BMW Championship. Vijay started the week needing to pass 16 players to play his way to Cog Hill, and he did even better -- moving to 63rd -- on a TPC Boston course where he had won twice.

The only man not named Tiger to ever hoist the FedExCup's gleaming Tiffany trophy is still alive but will need a great week in Chicago to advance to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Vijay played in the season finale to the Playoffs the first two years but his run ended in Chicago last year.

WITH THE FRIDAY start to the Deutsche Bank Championship several players took the opportunity to enjoy New York City following The Barclays. Monday was opening night at the U.S. Open tennis tournament and several of the PGA TOUR's best were on hand. Steve and Nicki Stricker were in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as were Scott and Kim Verplank and Bryce Molder. Venus Williams made short work of her opponent and paved the way for the night's final match with Roger Federer.

ACCORDING TO FACEBOOK, which seems to have the final say on pop culture these days, the New York Yankees are the most popular baseball franchise in the world with 1.7 million friends. I know, I know. But what do you expect?

This is a site that claims that Galatasaray Football Club of Turkey is the most popular franchise but I have never seen a Galatasaray cap at a golf tournament. There is only one tournament all year long where you won't find a Yankees cap and that is the Deutsche Bank Championship. The congenial golf fans of New England can tolerate an awful lot but not a hated Yankees cap.

Former PGA TOUR player John Maginnes is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.