Insider: Job security, status at stake in the Fall Series

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The "bubble boy" is always a storyline in the Fall Series. David Mathis hopes to not own the title past this week.

The winner of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola has been determined. The FedExCup champion has been crowned. They've finished selecting the players who will compete for the U.S. Presidents Cup team.

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So is there anything left to play for during the Fall Series?

Absolutely. There is actually quite a bit at stake for a lot of players as the PGA TOUR winds down to a close. The next four events can be very important. Each one carries a two-year exemption, something upon which a price cannot be placed, as it ensures a player a job through 2013.

Just ask a guy like Jonathan Byrd, who will defend his title this week at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Byrd rose up and won in Vegas last year, winning a playoff with a hole-in-one. And while you don't get any bonuses for style points, Byrd's win meant he didn't have to worry about having a place to play for the next two years.

Same is true for Rocco Mediate or Heath Slocum or Robert Garrigus. Mediate looked like he had been practicing trick shots for the next "Big Break" when he won the Frys.com Open. Slocum's victory gave him a win in back-to-back seasons. The long-hitting Garrigus won at Disney for the first time after numerous disappointments.

Not only does the win provide a two-year exemption, it also means inclusion into the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions. And for most players -- and more importantly the players' wives -- a chance to spend a week in Hawaii is never a bad thing. The limited field and fat purse in the Tournament of Champions can also be a financial kick start for the next season, a headstart on the rest of the players.

The next four tournaments have additional value, too. Players still have this time to fight and claw inside the top 125 on the PGA TOUR money list, the magic number that ensures they retain their exemption for 2012. It's also a chance to get in the top 30 of the final PGA TOUR money list or battle into the top 50 in the World Golf Rankings, both achievements rewarded by an invitation to Augusta. There are also points available that will enable players to get in the World Golf Championship events.

"These last events are the most important events of the year for these guys trying to keep their cards and keep their jobs," Martin Laird said a year ago, when he was preparing to defend his title at the Timberlake. "You've got to remember how important it is for them, even though a lot of guys are kind of in a wind-down period and just having fun. There's a lot of guys taking it very seriously."

Here are five guys you'll see competing as the leaves begin to change color, and why the Fall Series is important to them.

Tiger Woods: Normally you'd have to go to a Stanford football game to see Tiger in October. But since he hasn't competed since the PGA Championship, Woods wanted to play at least one tournament prior to the Presidents Cup. He committed to play in the Frys.com Open in San Martin, about 40 minutes south of Stanford. (By the way, Stanford is at home that weekend against Colorado.) It could be an important week for Woods, who needs some on-course encouragement to take some positive vibes Down Under.

William McGirt: He became a gallery favorite with his determined bid to get into the FedExCup playoffs. But the rookie has some work to do to climb into the Top 125. He starts the Fall Series at No. 137, and has about $137,000 worth of real estate to make up in order to retain his exempt status.

David Mathis: He begins the Fall Series as the Bubble Boy, sitting at No. 125 with $563,752 in earnings. Mathis didn't qualify for the FedExCup playoffs and needs to make some cuts to ensure he won't be spending next season on the Nationwide Tour.

Roland Thatcher: The television network TNT has the slogan, "We Know Drama." So does Thatcher. He begins the Fall Series at No. 126 on the money list. He was No. 122 in 2010 and No. 121 in 2009. Someone check the man's blood pressure on Sunday afternoon. If he successfully keeps his card again, TNT might want to offer him a walk-on role next season in "The Closer."

George McNeill: He's the all-time Fall Series money leader, having won $2.248 million. That's more than one-third of his career money earnings since he joined the TOUR fulltime in 2007. At No. 54, McNeill is secure in his position for next year, but would like to stop the bridesmaid trend (he's been second six times over the last four seasons) and win again for the first time since 2007.

Of course, unless this fall is different from others, we're likely to be introduced to new players and re-introduced to some old friends. And as long as they're keeping score, we can look forward to another month of interesting competition.

Stan Awtrey is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.