Inside the FedExCup: RBC Canadian Open

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Reigning FedExCup champion Jim Furyk has fallen to 76th in the standings this year, but he will look to win the RBC Canadian Open for the third time in his career.

Just a few weeks remain in the regular season, with the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup set to begin the week of Aug. 22. Here's a look at some of the key scenarios, notables and players in the field this week at the RBC Canadian Open. MORE FEDEXCUP: Bubble Watch | Biggest Movers | Five rookies inside top 30

SCENARIOS
A brief look at the No. 1, top 10, top 30 and top 125 possibilities.

NO. 1 -- Just two players in this week's field could take over the top spot in the FedExCup standings with a win -- Luke Donald, who currently ranks sixth in points and Matt Kuchar, who ranks eighth. Nick Watney, the current No. 1, is not playing this week.

TOP 10 -- Donald and Kuchar are the only two players in the top 10 in points at the RBC Canadian Open, but there are five other players who could move inside the top 10 with a win -- Hunter Mahan (currently No. 20), Charl Schwartzel (21), Spencer Levin (26), Keegan Bradley (29) and Ryan Moore (35).

TOP 30 -- Players need to be in the top 30 after the third Playoffs event, the BMW Championship, in order to advance to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, the tournament in which the FedExCup champ is crowned. Any player ranked inside the top 100 in FedExCup points going into this week's event has a chance to move inside the top 30 by winning the RBC Canadian Open. Some of the players between 30-100 in points who fall into this category include Lucas Glover, Rickie Fowler, Geoff Ogilvy and defending RBC Canadian Open champion Carl Pettersson.

TOP 125 -- Players need to be in the top 125 after the Wyndham Championship in order to make the Playoffs. Every TOUR player in the field this week, regardless of current FedExCup position, has a chance to move inside the top 125 with a win or a second-place finish in Canada.

NOTABLES IN NEED
Well-known players in this week's field who need to improve their FedExCup position.

JIM FURYK -- the reigning FedExCup champ is 76th in points. But he could move to 22nd with a win and 60th with a top-10 finish. Furyk won the Canadian Open in 2006 and 2007.

ANTHONY KIM -- Made a big leap with a tie for fifth at last week's British Open and hopes to continue trending upward this week. He's currently ranked 85th in points, but could move to 25th with a win.

ERNIE ELS -- Has not missed the Playoffs in the first four seasons; in fact, he's never finished outside the top 20. But he's currently ranked 139th in points. Could move to 41st with a win and 116th with a top-10 finish.

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN -- Last year's British Open champ is 141st in points but, like his fellow South African countryman Els, could move to 41st with a win.

PAUL CASEY -- A year ago, Casey finished sixth in final FedExCup points. But right now, he's 143rd. Could move to 41st with a win.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
Here's a look at a few players and how they achieved their FedExCup ranking this year

TOMMY GAINEY -- Gainey has never won a PGA TOUR event, but he keeps coming close, and because of that fact, he's pushing for a spot in the top 30. Gainey peaked at No. 23 in the standings in early May after tying for third at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He's been inside the top 50 since, although he dropped to his worst position since April (No. 40) after missing the cut at the John Deere Classic. So what did he do? He promptly tied for seventh at the Viking Classic and is now at No. 35.

BRENDAN STEELE -- Since winning the Valero Texas Open and jumping from 112th to 19th in the FedExCup standings on April 17, Steele has not had a top 10, he's taken four weeks off and has missed three cuts. Consequently, he's fallen to No. 32.

KEEGAN BRADLEY -- Already safely inside the top 125 before he won the HP Byron Nelson Championship in May, Bradley moved from 70th to 20th place after his first PGA TOUR victory. The rookie is currently 25th. The keys to his position are his win at the Byron Nelson and top 10s at the Bob Hope Classic and the Valero Texas Open.

HARRISON FRAZAR -- What will a couple of good weeks do for you? Since 2009, when the TOUR adopted the current points format for the FedExCup, Harrison Frazar's highest FedExCup position had been a tie for 68th after his first tournament of 2009, the Sony Open in Hawaii. And going into the 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship in May, Frazar was tied for 207th in the standings. But a tie for 14th at the Nelson and a win at the FedEx St. Jude Classic pushed him all the way to No. 40.

CHARLES HOWELL III -- He's proving that steady, consistent golf without the benefit of a victory still means a lot in the FedExCup. A six-week stretch where he tied for 20th, 22nd, third, third, fifth and 28th -- to go along with his six top 15s earlier in the season -- has him safely inside the top 30 (No. 24). -- Compiled by Laury Livsey, PGA TOUR staff