Kirk becomes fifth rookie to crack top 30

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Chris Kirk will easily qualify for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup in his first season on TOUR.

EDISON, N.J. -- A group of five Americans finished among the top five at the British Open and, in turn, greatly improved their positions in the FedExCup points race as just five weeks remain before The Barclays, the first event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Phil Mickelson (T2), Dustin Johnson (T2), Rickie Fowler (T5), Anthony Kim (T5) and Chad Campbell (T5) all improved at least five positions in the season-long points race with their solid play at Royal St. George's Golf Club over the weekend. PGA TOUR rookie Chris Kirk also enjoyed a nice jump in the standings with the 250 points he earned courtesy of his first TOUR victory at the Viking Classic.

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The Barclays, the first of four events in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, which culminate with the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, visits Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J., for the first time, August 23-28. The top-125 players in the FedExCup points standings through the Wyndham Championship (August 15-21) will qualify for The Barclays.

Mickelson, who has finished 3rd, 7th, 2nd and 13th in the first four years of the FedExCup competition (2007-2010), made a serious run at claiming his fifth major championship victory and first at the British Open, firing a 5-under 30 on the opening nine of the final round. Mickelson briefly tied eventual champion Darren Clarke at 5-under with an eagle three at the par-five 7th, but struggled to maintain momentum, coming home in 38 to finish T2, three shots off the winning pace. The T2 was Mickelson's best result in 18 starts at the British Open and first top 10 since a solo third in 2004 at Royal Troon. He improved from No. 9 to No. 5 in the points standings and is well positioned for another run at winning the FedExCup. Since the FedExCup's inception, Mickelson has posted just one top 10 at The Barclays, a T7 in 2007.

Playing in the final group on Sunday for the third time in the last six major championships (2010 U.S. Open, 2010 PGA Championship and 2011 British Open), Johnson entered the final round one-shot off the 54-hole pace, but carded a closing 2-over 72 to finish T2. It marked Johnson's career-best finish at the British Open in his third appearance, bettering a T14 last year at St. Andrew's. He improved from No. 25 to No. 14 in the FedExCup standings with the performance and enters the closing stretch of the PGA TOUR Regular Season in good position for The Playoffs. In 2010, Johnson won the BMW Championship, the third event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, en route to finishing 5th in the final standings.

Competing in the British Open for just the second time, Fowler carded rounds of 70-70-68-72 to finish T5, the best result of his young career in a major championship and best finish on the PGA TOUR in 2011. The T5 helped him jump 11 spots in the FedExCup standings, moving from No. 52 to No. 41. The TOUR's Rookie of the Year in 2010, Fowler advanced through the first three events of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, but failed to qualify for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, finishing the season at No. 32.

Kim's T5 at the British Open marked his best result on the PGA TOUR in 2011 and just his second top 10 of the season (T6 -- Farmers Insurance Open). The top 10 was his second at the British Open (T7 -- 2008) and third in 14-career appearances in major championships. The result was much needed for Kim in terms of FedExCup points, as he improved 24 positions from No. 105 to No. 85. His best finish in the season-long competition was 4th in 2008.

A veteran of nine seasons on the PGA TOUR, Campbell's T5 was his first top 10 at a major championship since losing a three-way playoff to Angel Cabrera at the Masters in 2009. The T5 was his first top 10 on the PGA TOUR in 2011 and came with much-needed FedExCup points, advancing him 20 spots from No. 84 to No. 64.

Kirk's victory at the Viking Classic in Mississippi was the fifth by a rookie on the PGA TOUR in 2011 and was worth 250 valuable FedExCup points. The victory was Kirk's fourth top-10 finish of 2011 and he is now the fourth rookie among the top 30 in the FedExCup standings at No. 27, joining Charl Schwartzel (No. 21), Jhonattan Vegas (No. 28) and Keegan Bradley (No. 29).

Nick Watney, who missed the cut at the British Open with rounds of 74-71, continues to lead the FedExCup standings on the strength of victories at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and AT&T National. Steve Stricker (No. 2), K.J. Choi (No. 3), Mickelson (No. 4) and Bubba Watson (No. 5) round out the top five.