Field Study: A quick look at each player in the Playoffs

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Aug. 22, 2011
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor

The regular season is done. The top 125 players are set for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Now it's a five-week, four-event sprint to see who'll claim season-long bragging rights (and pocket a cool $10 million bonus in the process).

KEY QUESTIONS: Perhaps these answers will satisfy your curiosity. Click
GUIDEBOOK: One-stop source for records, notes, fun facts and more. Click
POINTS: Latest update on where each player stands in the FedExCup. Click
RISING UP: Three players at Wyndham burst the Top 125 bubble. Click
HOW IT WORKS: Basic information on the FedExCup points system. Click
COMPLETE COVERAGE: Check out the FedExCup home page. Click

It doesn't matter how you got in, whether you displayed consistency all year or sporadic moments of brilliance. Although players do not start the Playoffs even in points, they do start out even in opportunity. Every player has a legitimate chance to win the FedExCup.

"The whole idea of the FedExCup," said Padraig Harrington, who squeezed his way into the Playoffs at the Wyndham Championship, "is the fact that anybody who is in the Top 125 has a chance of winning it outright and being, you know, the best player of the year."

Added Camilo Villegas, who has a habit of playing well in the Playoffs: "It's always crazy what can happen because the point system's so crazy and anything can happen."

Here's a quick look at each player who qualified for the Playoffs. Each one with a chance to hoist the FedExCup trophy on Sept. 25 at East Lake.

Every player except No. 21 Charl Schwartzel is scheduled to appear in this week's opening Playoffs event, The Barclays. But while the Masters champ won't be able to add to his points total, he won't be eliminated from the Playoffs.

Current projections are that the top 87 players going into The Barclays are assured of reaching next week's Deutsche Bank Championship, which consists of the top 100 players in points after this week.

Field Study: 2011 Playoffs
Rk Player  
1 Nick Watney
Has two wins, lots of top 10s, big hitter, strong putter. What's not to like about his chances?
2 Steve Stricker
Only pro to start all 64 rounds of Playoffs in first four years. That's just one reason he's Mr. September
3 Webb Simpson
The Wyndham winner ranks No. 1 in the TOUR's All-Around Ranking. That probably means something
4 Luke Donald
In 13 starts in U.S. this year, he has 10 top-10 finishes, including his Accenture Match Play win
5 Keegan Bradley
OK, maybe not as consistent as those above him, but you willing to bet against the PGA champ right now?
6 Phil Mickelson
Just two rounds under par in his last 10 on TOUR. But he usually plays well at Playoffs venues
7 K.J. Choi
Great stretch early culminated in win at THE PLAYERS but just one top-10 in last seven starts
8 Bubba Watson
Hasn't finished inside the top 20 since winning in New Orleans three months ago
9 David Toms
Furyk was 40 years old when he won the FedExCup; Singh was 45. Why not the 44-year-old Toms?
10 Gary Woodland
Showing signs of life again after a brief stretch in which he struggled to contend
11 Mark Wilson
Faded a bit after winning twice in his first three starts but did have a top-10 finish as recently as June
12 Matt Kuchar
Was second to Furyk in last year's Playoffs and enters Barclays as defending champ
13 Adam Scott
Playing arguably best golf of his career and has good track record at Playoff venues
14 Jason Day
No player on TOUR this year has a better par-3 scoring average than Day's 2.94
15 Bill Haas
A year ago, he had a fantastic October after the Playoffs; can he get hot a little earlier this year?
16 Fredrik Jacobson
The Junk Man had been red-hot until missing the cut at the PGA Championship
17 Martin Laird
A year ago, Laird was 95th in points before nearly winning the Barclays
18 Brandt Snedeker
He's had at least one top-10 finish at a Playoff event in each of the past two years
19 Dustin Johnson
Winless this year but should have enough points to advance to BMW, where he's defending champ
20 Hunter Mahan
Solid a few months ago but seems to be fading a little since mid-June
21 Charl Schwartzel
The Masters champ has yet to miss a cut in 13 starts on TOUR this year
22 Aaron Baddeley
Won the Northern Trust in February but just one top-10 in last nine starts
23 Rory Sabbatini
Honda Classic winner has just four rounds under par in his last 17 on TOUR
24 Jonathan Byrd
Hyundai winner is fading fast -- he's missed the cut in five of last six starts
25 Jason Dufner
He's been hit or miss since May -- four top-10s, six missed cuts in 10 starts
26 Charles Howell III
Finished 8th in first Playoffs in 2007; his recent strong play suggests another big run
27 D.A. Points
His top-10 finish at PGA was his first since winning AT&T Pebble Beach in February
28 Rickie Fowler
Didn't make it to East Lake last year; will be a disappointment if he doesn't this year
29 Spencer Levin
Has produced a sneaky effective regular season with 11 top-25s in 24 starts
30 Tommy Gainey
Third at Wyndham was his sixth top-10 of the year -- all in different months
31 Scott Stallings
Winning Greenbrier will enable the Massachusetts native to play TPC Boston
32 Zach Johnson
Two top-10s in his last four starts; may need another to get to East Lake
33 Chris Kirk
Rookie won the Viking Classic last month and also finished T2 at Shell Houston Open
34 Steve Marino
Played well early in season but comes into Playoffs with three straight MCs
35 Jhonattan Vegas
Great two-week stretch in January but no top-10s since then for the rookie
36 Vijay Singh
The 2008 FedExCup champ showed signs of life at Wyndham with a T4, his best result since February
37 Ryan Palmer
Three-time TOUR winner seems to pop up and contend when you least expect it
38 Ryan Moore
His tee-to-green stats aren't great, but once he gets a putter in his hand ...
39 Bo Van Pelt
He was the last player to make the TOUR Championship last year; can he get in again?
40 Lucas Glover
Winning in a playoff at Wells Fargo was his only top-10 finish of the year
41 Brendan Steele
The rookie's only top-10 this year was his win at the Valero Texas Open
42 Brandt Jobe
Ranks second on the TOUR in Total Driving -- combo of distance and accuracy
43 Y.E. Yang
For what it's worth -- no one in top 125 has a better percentage of putts made outside 25 feet
44 Justin Rose
Top five position entering the Playoffs last year but no such luxury this year
45 Robert Karlsson
Comes off a nice weekend at the PGA but his accuracy remains a question mark
46 Brendon de Jonge
Nobody on TOUR made more birdies this season than de Jonge, who had 343
47 Kevin Na
At PGA, he produced his first top-10 since early May and is trending upward now
48 Kyle Stanley
Has two top-10s in his last five starts, although he missed the cut at Wyndham
49 Charley Hoffman
Defending Deutsche Bank champ has 4 missed cuts and no top 10s in last 11 starts
50 John Senden
No player on TOUR hits more greens in regulation from outside 200 yards than Senden
51 Sean O'Hair
His only top-10 this year was his win at RBC Canadian in a playoff; has 10 missed cuts in 20 starts
52 Pat Perez
Followed up his second at Reno-Tahoe with a solid T17 and four rounds in 60s at Wyndham
53 Robert Garrigus
If the big bomber can play like he did at the U.S. Open (T3), he'll be a factor
54 George McNeill
His second at Wyndham jumped him 50 spots and was his second runner-up finish in last four starts
55 Carl Pettersson
Two best finishes this year (T4) came at season opener in Kapalua and regular season finale at Wyndham
56 Brian Gay
Has just five rounds under par in his last 21 on TOUR; four of those were at John Deere
57 Brian Davis
Has five top-25 finishes in his last nine starts, including his last three
58 Robert Allenby
In his Playoffs career, he has 26 rounds in the 60s; just five players have more
59 Sergio Garcia
In the last three majors this year, he finished in the top 12 each time
60 Jim Furyk
The defending FedExCup champ's T9 at Wyndham tied for his best finish of the year
61 Harrison Frazar
Earlier this season, he missed five straight cuts; two starts later, he won in Memphis
62 Andres Romero
Of his four top-10s this year, three have come in his last six starts
63 Jerry Kelly
Improved his FedExCup position 17 spots thanks to that T4 at Wyndham
64 Cameron Tringale
Turns 24 years old on Wednesday and would love a birthday victory this week at The Barclays
65 Kris Blanks
A month ago before the AT&T National, he was 137th in points -- then he got hot
66 J.B. Holmes
WD from The Barclays. Likely to miss Playoffs due to brain surgery, but may hit balls within a month
67 Blake Adams
Improved his FedExCup position by 33 spots since early June; has five top 20s since then
68 Jimmy Walker
Had three top-10s by mid-February; didn't have another one until July
69 Jeff Overton
In his last 27 rounds on TOUR dating back to late May, just six have been under par
70 John Rollins
Has made it to East Lake twice in the first four seasons of the Playoffs
71 Kevin Streelman
Probably wishes Barclays was at Ridgewood; he's finished T3 and T4 there
72 J.J. Henry
His last 14 starts: no top-20 finishes and six missed cuts. Hoping to turn it around
73 Charlie Wi
Has missed the cut in every other start in his last seven starts on TOUR
74 Chad Campbell
His lone top-10 this year came at British Open, where he finished T5
75 Scott Verplank
His play at PGA -- each round at par or better -- showed he can still bring it
76 Chez Reavie
Seems to have found something recently; has five top 20s in last six starts
77 Johnson Wagner
Unusual to see a tournament winner this far back, but his win at Mayakoba was his lone top 10
78 Chris Couch
Had not missed a cut this year until he fell one shot short at Wyndham
79 Geoff Ogilvy
Needs a good showing so he doesn't have to rely on Captain's pick for Presidents Cup
80 Scott Piercy
Watch out -- last four starts include a win (Reno-Tahoe Open) and a T6 (RBC Canadian)
81 Davis Love III
The 2012 Ryder Cup Captain has five finishes of T12 or better in last seven starts
82 Stewart Cink
He can't be very happy with just one top 10 in 19 starts this year
83 Ricky Barnes
Last top-10 finish came in April at The Heritage, when he finished T4
84 Troy Matteson
Hasn't had a top-10 finish since he lost in a playoff at Puerto Rico
85 Ryuji Imada
Produced two T3s during a three-tournament stretch three months ago to seal his Playoffs spot
86 Ben Crane
Last year he finished 12th in the FedExCup; he'll need to hustle to post a similar finish
87 Marc Leishman
His T30 at Wyndham broke a string of four consecutive missed cuts
88 Kevin Chappell
Since his T3 at the U.S. Open, he's missed the cut in three of last five starts
89 Hunter Haas
A back injury forced him to withdraw from Wyndham during the middle of his final round
90 Chris DiMarco
No top-10s this year but produced a steady string of top-30 finishes
91 Bryce Molder
Went through rough patch early but has played better of late (3 top 10s in last 6 starts)
92 Anthony Kim
Last seven starts: one top-5, one top-20, four missed cuts and a DQ
93 Graeme McDowell
His scoring average of 71.08 is more than one stroke higher than last year's breakout season
94 Paul Goydos
During a 30-day stretch starting in late April, he produced his only three top-10s of year
95 Trevor Immelman
Amazingly, the last top-10 finish he's had on TOUR was the 2008 TOUR Championship
96 Nick O'Hern
After a WD at RBC Canadian, he's played much better, including a T6 at Reno
97 Matt Bettencourt
Suffered three WDs this year, including his last start at Reno due to rib injury
98 Tim Herron
Top 5s at Heritage, FedEx St. Jude allowed him to make Playoffs despite 12 missed cuts
99 Michael Bradley
Has missed more cuts than made but that playoff win in Puerto Rico looms large
100 Greg Chalmers
Before a T52 at Wyndham, he'd missed the cut in six of previous seven starts
101 Retief Goosen
Had to withdraw from two majors this year but looked pretty healthy at Wyndham
102 Tom Gillis
Putting stats: Ranks 129th from 5-10 feet and 101st from 15-20 feet. But from 10-15 feet, he's 10th. Weird
103 Bill Lunde
His T13 at the Viking Classic in July was his best finish since January
104 John Merrick
His primary stats are generally solid, so it's a surprise he's not producing better results
105 Kevin Stadler
Has missed the cut in every other start since late June; he was T40 at Wyndham
106 Chris Stroud
Before his MC at Wyndham, he had made six straight cuts, his best stretch of the year
107 Michael Thompson
He was 174th in points in early June, so he made up lots of ground
108 Vaughn Taylor
Only Donald, Chalmers and McNeill have a better percentage of avoiding 3-putts
109 Camilo Villegas
The bubble boy at Wyndham came through with a T9 to improve his position
110 Josh Teater
Playing his best golf of year with six straight made cuts, including a T10 at Reno-Tahoe
111 D.J. Trahan
Produced his best finish of year at Viking Classic (T9) then promptly missed 4 cuts
112 Heath Slocum
No player in the top 125 has a better record on par 3s in the Playoffs than Slocum
113 Stuart Appleby
Rebounded from a 13-start stretch in which he made it to the weekend one time
114 Ian Poulter
Has four top 20s in Playoff events the last two years so maybe he turns it around
115 Rod Pampling
Thanks to his Texas Two-Step (T10 at Colonial, T8 at HP Byron Nelson), he's playing this week
116 Joe Ogilvie
A tie for third at the HP Byron Nelson was the key result in making the Playoffs
117 David Hearn
The Canadian, making his first Playoffs appearance, must bounce back from two missed cuts
118 Ernie Els
Last year, he started No. 1; this year, he had to claw his way in with a solid result at Wyndham
119 Billy Mayfair
Back in the Playoffs after a two-year absence, thanks mostly to that T8 at Zurich
120 James Driscoll
Top 20 in driving distance, yet he's less effective on par 5s than par 4s or par 3s
121 Steve Flesch
Was 140th in points before a T3 at Reno-Tahoe moved him safely inside Top 125
122 Steven Bowditch
One of the TOUR's big hitters is making his Playoffs debut
123 Arjun Atwal
Almost spit the bit down the stretch with six missed cuts in last 8 starts
124 Padraig Harrington
Yes, he just barely made it but don't forget his 2009 Playoffs run (top 10s in all four events)
125 William McGirt
Said it was the "longest afternoon" of his life waiting on his Playoffs status. It was worth it
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