Inside the FedExCup: Bridgestone, Reno

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Graeme McDowell has never played in the Playoffs but could seal up a spot this week.

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 going into this week's two FedExCup events, the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and the Reno-Tahoe Open.
MORE FEDEXCUP: No. 1 watch | Biggest Movers after Greenbrier | Bubble watch for Bridgestone, Reno-Tahoe

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

NO. 1 -- Nine players in the WGC- Bridgestone Invitational could overtake Nick Watney atop the FedExCup standings this week. Steve Stricker could do it with a top-10 finish; K.J. Choi, Phil Mickelson, Luke Donald or Bubba Watson could do it with a win or a second-place finish. Gary Woodland, Mark Wilson, Matt Kuchar and David Toms would need to win.

TOP 10 -- Nine of the top 10 players in FedExCup points are at Firestone this week; the other, Webb Simpson, is not playing in either event. Any player at 43rd or better in the standings could move inside the top 10 with a win at Firestone.

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 in the field at WGC-Bridgestone who is 111th or better in points could move inside the top 30 with a win. Two players in the Reno-Tahoe Open field, Kevin Na and Robert Garrigus, could move into the top 30 with a win at that event.

TOP 125 -- Players need to be in the top 125 after the Wyndham Championship in order to make the Playoffs. Steve Elkington is currently ranked 215th in points; he could move to 125 should he win at Reno-Tahoe. Anybody below Elkington in points would not be able to climb inside the top 125. The current bubble boy at No. 125 is Matt Jones; he's also playing at Reno-Tahoe.

NOTABLES IN NEED
Well-known players playing this week who need to improve their FedExCup position

ADAM SCOTT -- Last year, the Australian finished 19th in FedExCup points but he enters this week in the No. 50 spot. He could move inside the top 30, however, if he finishes third or better at Firestone.

STEWART CINK -- The Atlanta resident missed out on playing at East Lake last year, and he's in danger of failing to reach the TOUR Championship again. He goes into Bridgestone 74th in points; he's never finished outside the top 40 in the four previous FedExCup seasons.

GRAEME McDOWELL -- The 2010 U.S. Open champ is currently 87th in points and has accumulated just 104 points in his last eight TOUR starts (five missed cuts during that time). He could move to 23rd with a win at Firestone. He has never played in the Playoffs.

TIGER WOODS -- The two-time FedExCup champion is back after a three-month absence due to injury. He's 135th in points, so he needs to pick up some points in order to move inside the top 125 on the list. A win would move him to 33rd on the list.

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

BEN CURTIS -- Twelve-place jumps in the standings may not seem like such a big deal, but to Curtis his dozen-position move last week at The Greenbrier Classic may go a long way in determining if he makes the Playoffs. Entering The Greenbrier Classic, Curtis was 138th on the points chart. A final-round 67 at The Old White TPC took him from a tie for 52nd to a tie for 32nd at the second-year event and gave him enough points to improve to 126th in the FedExCup standings. While he's still outside the top 125, a strong Sunday showing last week has put him in contention for a spot in the postseason. .

STEVEN BOWDITCH -- The Aussie has never played in the Playoffs. In his only previous full PGA TOUR season, in 2006, the FedExCup didn't exist. Sunday at The Greenbrier Classic, Bowditch helped his cause considerably. Despite a 5-over 75 in the second round that derailed any chances of him contending at the tournament, Bowditch came back nicely on the weekend, shooting rounds of 68-67 to tie for 18th, an improvement of 16 places between Saturday and Sunday. With that move, he improved 16 positions, from 128th to 112th in the FedExCup and is poised to make his first Playoffs appearance. He has made the cut in three of his last four starts.

MARK WILSON -- While Wilson has not had a top-10 finish since he tied for seventh at the Memorial Tournament -- and has missed cuts in two of his last four starts -- he's still eighth in the standings, which is what a strong beginning to his season has done for the former North Carolina Tar Heel. Wilson won his first start of the season, at the Sony Open in Hawaii, then won again two starts later, at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He held the top spot in the standings through late April and will be one of the top contenders when the Playoffs begin.