Race for the FedExCup: Midseason breakdown

text size

Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

Matt Kuchar ranks No. 9 in the FedExCup standings on the strength of six top-10 finishes.

MORE FEDEXCUP: Standings | Weekly leaders | Nationwide Tour grads | q-school grads | News and Notes

We've reached the midway point of the 2011 Regular Season and the FedExCup picture is just starting to come into focus. The top contenders for the PGA TOUR's biggest prize are starting to emerge and others know they have work to do to get into the race.

The PGA TOUR's Alex Turnbull takes a closer look at the FedExCup race at the midway point.

THE TOP 30 IN 2010: Two-thirds (20) of the top 30 in the 2010 FedExCup (all players who made the 2010 TOUR Championship) were inside the top 30 in the standings at the halfway point of the regular season. The lowest-ranked player at the halfway point of the 2010 regular season to make the TOUR Championship was ranked 157th (Charley Hoffman).

Matt Kuchar and Luke Donald are the only two players who were inside the top 10 of the FedExCup standings at the end of the 2010 season and still remain inside the top 10 at the halfway point of the 2011 regular season.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION: While a top-10 spot in the standings at the midway point of the season does not guarantee success once the playoffs come around, eight players who were ranked in the top 10 after week 17 last year made it to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Four of them finished the season inside the top 10. Just two golfers (Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar) have been inside the top 10 at the midway point the last two seasons.

BETTER NOT BEING NO. 1?: Current FedExCup leader Mark Wilson may have his work cut out for him. He's the fifth midseason leader in the five-year history of the FedExCup to have at least two victories in the first 17 weeks of the season. No midseason leader, however, has ever won the FedExCup. Ernie Els finished ninth last year -- the best finish for a FedExCup leader.

Luke Donald, who is currently 63 points behind Mark Wilson, may be in the best position of anyone in the race for the FedExCup. While no midseason leader has ever claimed the cup, no one ranked outside the top 15 at the midway point of the season has ever done so, either. Twice in the first four years of the competition (Tiger Woods, 2007; Jim Furyk, 2010) has the player ranked No. 2 at the midway point gone on to win the season-long competition.

BEST WITHOUT A WIN: Entering the halfway point of the 2011 FedExCup Regular Season, Matt Kuchar is the current points leader among all players without a win on the strength of six top 10s in 10 starts. Kuchar was also the points leader at the halfway point of the 2010 FedExCup season among players without a win (8th).

Vijay Singh currently ranks 21st in the standings at the halfway point in the 2011 season. This is a large improvement over his rank at this point last year (83rd).

MAKING GREAT PROGRESS: Aaron Baddeley ranked 146th in the standings at the halfway point of the 2010 season and currently ranks 8th on the strength of one win and three top 10s in his 2011 campaign (138-spot improvement). Of the nine biggest improvements, just three (Baddeley, Mark Wilson and D.A. Points) have won events in 2011.

LOOKING AHEAD: PGATOUR.COM's Chris Dunham takes a look at five players to watch in the second half of the regular season.

Predicting the second-half stars

Here are five players currently ranked much lower than their 2010 finish in the FedExCup standings. Don't be surprised if any or all of these players get on track and make it all the way to East Lake for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. STEVE STRICKER: Currently 31st; 7th last year Maybe an obvious choice but Stricker is outside the top 25 in the FedExCup standings for the first time since the midway point of the 2007 season. He's racked up five wins in the last two seasons and is bound to pick up one (or more) before the playoffs come around. ANTHONY KIM: Currently 71st; 41st last year Just one top 10 in 11 starts and three missed cuts in the last five. Kim's worst regular season FedExCup finish, however, is 42nd. He's struggled off the tee this year, but when he's keeping the ball in play, he still makes as many birdies as anyone on TOUR. BO VAN PELT: Currently 77th; 30th last year Van Pelt is a player who racks up a lot of points with the number of starts/cuts he makes. He only missed four cuts in 28 2010 starts but matched that number in five starts this year. He's rebounded nicely, though, and got his first top 10 of 2011 at the Masters. RETIEF GOOSEN: Currently 111th; 10th last year Goosen has made six starts on TOUR this year but his best finish has been a tie for 12th at the Northern Trust Open. Eight of Goosen's 15 top 10s the last two years have come after June 1. He has a great playoff track record with seven Playoff top-25s in the last two years. CHARLIE WI: Currently 126th; 33rd last year Wi has just one top-25 finish in 11 starts this season. Ranked 4th and 21st in putting the last two years but has now fallen to 143rd. Though he's never played in THE TOUR Championship, Wi has made 10 cuts in 11 Playoffs starts.