These guys have plenty to prove this week at East Lake

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Jeff Overton has been in a slump since finishing tied for sixth at the Bridgestone Invitational.

Thirty players. Seventy-two holes. One seriously shiny, $10 million brass ring.

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And, most likely, Player of the Year honors.

That may be where the headlines will point you all week -- as well they should -- but those aren't the only storylines as we make the final turn in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup sprint toward THE TOUR Championship.

Yes, everyone has a shot at the ring -- depending of course, on how the top five players in the standings play. But not everyone can make a run at PGA TOUR Player of the Year or the Vardon Trophy. Or even a spot among the season's top 30 money winners.

What can they do? Lots. Serious lots.

So we thought we'd take you behind the Dustin Johnson/Matt Kuchar/Phil Mickelson headlines and point out a few subplots seriously worth noting.

Casey

• Paul Casey. The world No. 7 didn't make Europe's 12-man Ryder Cup team, but a win here could, to put it politely, make him feel a whole lot better. And leave Euro team captain Colin Montgomerie to wonder what he heck he was thinking. Yes, Casey missed chunks of the season, but he's played great since that tie for third at the British Open. As in two T12s, two top 25s and a second (BMW Championship) in his last five events. And he's got the magic No. 5 spot on the FedExCup standings, which means if he wins, he takes it all. Yes, Monty will be watching.

• Jeff Overton. A top 15 would be tantamount to a win at this point. Yes, he's on the Ryder Cup team, but he needs some momentum heading to Wales. He had a red-hot middle of the year with top-3s at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, AT&T National and Greenbrier Classic and a T11 at the British Open.

But since finishing in a share of sixth at the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational, Overton's best finish is . . . a T56? Too true. He had that at The Barclays, two weeks after finishing 71st at Whistling Straits. He missed the cut at the Deutsche Bank Championship, then was T57 at the BMW. Will East Lake be good for what ails his game?

The final 30

Detailed previews. Analysis and stats. For everything you need to know about the final 30 players competing this week in THE TOUR Championship, click here.

• Kevin Streelman. All he's done is what's asked in this Playoffs format. He's gotten hot at the right time. From out of the top 100 at the start to East Lake. Like Charley Hoffman, who's No. 3 in the FedExCup rankings, he didn't play a major this year. But he's in the game, even if he is No. 29. Agree or disagree with the volatility in the Playoffs run, but Streelman's here with a chance at career season money. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Ian Poulter -- to name four -- aren't.

• Adam Scott. Working on his second comeback of the season. Finished the first with a win at the Valero Texas Open. Started the second one with a T9 at the Bridgestone Invitational. Top nines at The Barclays and Deutsche Bank, T15 at the BMW. Two wins could pull him even with a handful of other guys, but more important, it's a springboard to get him back on track. He was, after all, the No. 3 player in the world heading into the 2008 U.S. Open.

• Geoff Ogilvy. Opened the season with a win in Hawaii. A successful title defense, we must add. Since then, he's wandered like Job. Okay finishes, missed cuts -- at THE PLAYERS Championship and the last three majors of the year. In fact, missed four of five cuts before sharing second at the Deutsche Bank Championship. A second win this season means bookend wins and a great start on 2011.

Palmer

• Ryan Palmer. He's 16th on the FedExCup list and had played well enough since late July to deserve a look at least for the Ryder Cup. Won the Sony Open, then .. . poof. Seriously bad mid-season -- he missed 11 of 12 cuts -- but turned it with a T24 at the RBC Canadian Open and followed with a second at Bridgestone. Back-to-back T5 at The Barclays and T11 at Deutsche Bank Championship got him to East Lake. It's already a career season that could only get better.

• Bo Van Pelt, Ryan Moore, Nick Watney. All took different roads to make it to East Lake. All want to prove they belong there going forward. Miles to go for all of them for a win, but a great chance to show what they've got and jumpstart 2011.

• Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson. Great finishes leading into Wales? Could lead to second wins of the season for both and a boost for the U.S. For Bubba, a win would mean more than momentum or money or PGA TOUR Player of the Year consideration. His dad is battling throat cancer and winning another tournament with him watching? That would be simply priceless.

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.