Top five surprises so far during the Playoffs for the FedExCup

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Few could have predicted the heavyweight showdown at East Lake would be between Matt Kuchar and Dustin Johnson.

Three tournaments down, the biggest one still to go.

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And since the players have a week off, what better time to reflect on some of the biggest surprises thus far in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. And buckle up for what promises to be the wildest ride in Playoffs history.

If we've learned anything through the first three events, it's expect the unexpected. Anything can and will happen. A putt falls, then another and they're off. Someone threatens to run tables, then -- thanks to one shot -- winds up staggering home.

It's T-minus six days -- of hype, questions and prognostications -- until the Playoffs regroups at East Lake for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola and the real fun begins. Anyone in the final 30 can win, but those at the bottom will need more than a little help. And as we've seen in the first three weeks that's not improbable, let alone impossible.

Surprises have been the signature of this Playoffs run, so we thought it would be fun to give you our top five over the last three weeks.

1. No Tiger. A surprise? Going into the Playoffs, probably not. At that point, some wondered if he would advance past Week 1. But after Week 2, yes. It finally looked like he was settling into his swing changes -- at least enough to find his way into the top 30 and head to East Lake. We're so used to seeing him pull off the improbable that it seemed he was going to do it again, despite inconsistency. Even the most cynical had to think being No. 30 was a done deal.

No Vijay Singh either. Thought he would grind his way in. Feels strange neither will be there.

2. The principals in the final showdown. At the start of the year, you were thinking Phil Mickelson vs. someone for the FedExCup. Ernie Els maybe, especially after two quick wins. Or Steve Stricker, who always turns it on in the Playoffs. Then Tiger came back and got you wondering, "what if?"

Who among you had -- in order -- Matt Kuchar, Charley Hoffman and Dustin Johnson winning the first three events? Certainly not back in January. Not even in August, most likely.

Yet, here we are with Kuchar, Johnson and Hoffman running one-two-three in the standings. Woods is outtathere for the finale for the first time ever when he was physically healthy and able to play. Mickelson and Els are backsliding. Stricker is in neutral. And Adam Scott, Paul Casey and Jason Day are the ones charging.

The battle of the heavyweights is Kuchar vs. Johnson. Johnson has a chance to replace what he didn't do at the majors with what he did do at the Playoffs -- and to cash a check with a lot of zeroes. Kuchar can top off a solid season with a flourish and jump onto everyone's shortlists for next year's majors.

3. The where'd-they-come-from crowd. Let's start with Ryan Moore and K.J. Choi. They started BMW week ranked in the mid-50s and shot themselves into the top 30. Choi is kind of a forgotten guy. Moore is a throwback rebel with a heck of a game who was in the midst of an uneven season. Also not to be overlooked: Kevin Streelman, who started outside the top 100, went on a run and punched his ticket to East Lake, and Kevin Na, who steered his way in at the last minute. If you had any of the above in your pre-Playoffs pool, major snaps. Talk about getting hot at the right time.

4. How fast things can change. Yes, we're used to seeing players slip in or out of the top 100, 70 or 30, but Sunday it felt more like a 50-meter freestyle heat at the Olympics where everyone's charging for the wall. Bo Van Pelt's in, he's out. Rickie Fowler and Bill Haas are on the edge. Charlie Wi needs a par. You needed a scorecard to keep up. Bottom line, Wi missed and he is out. Van Pelt is in. Fowler and Haas are out. If one of the top five doesn't step up at East Lake, we might be in for a similar finish there.

5. No one knocked Tiger off the top spot in the Official World Golf Rankings. Not yet anyway. Tiger is still No. 1 and, honestly, the way this season is playing out, could still be atop the OWGRs after THE TOUR Championship. Both Mickelson and Stricker have had chances to topple Tiger from the top spot during the Playoffs -- when you expect them to be playing at a major-or-just-under level -- and they've come up short again and again. With Tiger out of the finale, it could finally happen. The flip side? Kuchar and Johnson, to name two, are making the most of their Playoffs runs and rocketing up the OWGR. In case you're wondering, Kuchar's now 10th; Johnson 12th. At the start of August they were 26th and 29th; at the start of the year 62nd and 54th.

Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM and can be reached at melaniehauser@gmail.com. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.