Field Study: A quick look at each player at East Lake

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ATLANTA -- Sunday at East Lake will have major ramifications with the FedExCup title and the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola on the line. The top 30 players in FedExCup points have advanced to the Playoffs finale.. Here's a quick look at each one going into Thursday's first round.
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Field Study: 2011 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola

Rk Player   1 Webb SIMPSON No player has been hotter in the last month -- and no player has been more consistent in the last several months. In his last 11 starts, he has 10 finishes in the top 16. 2 Dustin JOHNSON Followed his 54-hole win at The Barclays with lackluster results in the next two Playoffs events. So which D.J. will we see at East Lake this week? 3 Justin ROSE Let's face it -- if he has a similar ball-striking week at East Lake as he did in winning the BMW Championship last week, he'll be $10 million richer. 4 Luke DONALD Won the Match Play in February and his consistency has helped vault him to the top of the world rankings. He finished 2nd last year at East Lake. 5 Matt KUCHAR In his last 10 starts in Playoffs events, he has never finished outside the top 30 in any start. Would be great time to post his first win in 2011. 6 Brandt SNEDEKER Shot 66 or lower in five of his 11 rounds in the Playoffs this year. This is his last chance to impress U.S. Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples. 7 Nick WATNEY Started the Playoffs ranked No. 1 in points but hasn't been much of a factor. That final-round 80 at Deutsche Bank knocked him out of top five. 8 Chez REAVIE Finished eighth at BMW, a solid follow-up to his playoff loss at Deutsche Bank. Considering where he started the year, it's all gravy right now. 9 John SENDEN Of his 18 made cuts this year, he finished between 10th and 25th in 10 of them. Last week's runner-up finish was his best result in two years. 10 Jason DAY He ranks 166th in driving accuracy this year -- but at the 2010 TOUR Championship, he ranked second in the field. Maybe East Lake suits him off the tee. 11 Gary WOODLAND Jim Furyk won the FedExCup from this spot a year ago, but Woodland is not doing himself any favors on the green (166th in Strokes Gained-Putting). 12 Steve STRICKER Had a cortisone injection after withdrawing from last week's BMW Championship with weakness in his left arm. Is Mr. September finally ready for battle? 13 K.J. CHOI THE PLAYERS champ has finished top 10 in each of his last two starts at East Lake. And he played well last week at Cog Hill. Don't forget about him. 14 Phil MICKELSON A two-time winner at East Lake but has fallen seven spots in FedExCup rankings since the Playoffs begin. Can he win with a belly putter? 15 Mark WILSON Started strong at BMW but needs to shake off the disappointing weekend at Cog Hill. This is his first appearance at East Lake. 16 David TOMS Already picked up some hardware in Atlanta after winning the Payne Stewart Award. Has improved in each round of the Playoffs, too. 17 Jonathan BYRD Making his first appearance in Atlanta since the inaugural year of the Playoffs. Posted his fifth top-10 of the season at The Barclays. 18 Bubba WATSON Comes to East Lake as one of six players with two wins but hasn't had a top-10 since the second win in New Orleans in May, 11 starts ago. 19 Adam SCOTT Won the TOUR Championship in 2006, the year before the Playoffs started, but a tie for 26th is his best finish at East Lake in two appearances since. 20 Keegan BRADLEY After missing the cut in his first two Playoffs, the PGA champ tied for 16th at Cog Hill. Needs to play well to impress Fred Couples. 21 Hunter MAHAN Mahan will be playing in his fifth straight TOUR Championship, thanks, in part to a tie for eighth in Boston. That was his eighth top-10 in a solid season. 22 Jason DUFNER Has a degree in economics from Auburn so Dufner, who already has two playoff losses this year, would surely know what to do with the money if he picks up his first TOUR win. 23 Vijay SINGH Oldest player in the field is also one of the most successful at East Lake. In nine appearances, he has eight top 10s, including a win in 2002. 24 Geoff OGILVY After securing his spot last week on Greg Norman's team for the Presidents Cup, this Aussie should be able to relax and play. 25 Bill HAAS Can't afford to get ahead of himself, wondering whether he'll make the Presidents Cup team. It cost him last week at BMW. 26 Charles HOWELL III Lanky Georgian is looking to break a four-year victory drought on a course where he has two second-place finishes. 27 Aaron BADDELEY Aussie picked up his third TOUR win earlier this year in Los Angeles but needs a big finish with International Presidents Cup captain Greg Norman looking on. 28 Y.E. YANG Former PGA champ made three birdies on the back nine Sunday at Cog Hill and needed every one of them to maintain his spot in the top 30. 29 Fredrik JACOBSON Loved math when he was in school but admitted he got too focused on the projections last week. A solid weekend secured his spot in his first TOUR Championship. 30 Bo VAN PELT Finished 30 points away from elimination on Sunday at Cog Hill and will play in the TOUR Championship for the second straight year.