FedExCup Climbers: AT&T National
 
Jul. 12, 2007

It was kind of a weird week in the FedExCup standings.

You see, usually the week's biggest mover is easy to spot -- just look for the guy that raised the trophy on Sunday. Not the case this time. However, you could argue that K.J. Choi's move up the standings after his win at the AT&T National was huge, even if it wasn't big in terms of numbers.

What do I mean? Read on, my fellow golf nuts.

Last Week: AT&T National, Bethesda, Md. | This Week: John Deere Classic, Silvis, Ill.

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Biggest Mover: Pat Perez
He climbed: 20 spots, from 64th to 44th
Because: He finished T3 at the AT&T National
Perez is on a bit of a roll. His third-place tie at Congressional was his best finish in a year that includes four top-10s, including two top-five finishes in his last five starts (He also finished fourth at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial over Memorial Day weekend) In his sixth TOUR season, Perez has a respectable six top-25 finishes and 41 top-25s in his career.

Perhaps most interesting is Perez's 13th-place standing on TOUR in final-round scoring average (70.10). His Sunday 67 at the AT&T National was his best round of the week and tied for third for the day, taking him from 21st to a tie for third in the tournament.

The question for Perez appears to be consistency. In 18 starts, he's made the cut 10 times. His longest streak without a missed cut is three tournaments -- he's made two straight cuts in his current run.

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Welcome to the top 5: K.J. Choi
He climbed: Seven spots, from 11th to fourth
Because: He won the AT&T National
You know, Choi's might be an outstanding argument for the power of karma. You may remember that it was Choi who hit the very first shot of the FedExCup era last January at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Since that historic drive, Choi has put together quite an impressive season.

The best may be yet to come. Choi has two wins in a month, he shared a trophy shot with Jack Nicklaus at The Memorial in June and another with Tiger Woods on Sunday at the AT&T National. Heady company indeed. It also gives him experience with high-profile trophy presentations -- like the one that will happen after The TOUR Championship in September.

Incidentally, looking ahead, he finished T49 at Carnoustie in 1999.

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Welcome to the top 20: Steve Stricker
He climbed:
10 spots, from 21st to 11th
Because: He finished second in the AT&T National
Stricker's runner-up effort at Congressional marked his sixth cut made in seven events, including two runner-up finishes. In that span, Stricker has made 6,738 FedExCup points. If he had started that run with zero FEC points, he'd still be 22nd in the standings.

Once Stricker makes a cut on TOUR this year, he's awfully tough to keep down on moving day. He's second on TOUR in third-round scoring average (68.73).

And if the old saying about "...putting for dough" is true, don't expect Stricker -- a deadly accurate putter -- to slow down one bit.

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Welcome to the top 100: Mike Weir
He climbed: 17 spots, from 113th to 96th
Because: He finished tied for eighth at the AT&T National.
Weir, a seven-time titleist on TOUR and the 2003 Masters champion, scored his first top-10 finish of the season Sunday when he tied for eighth at the AT&T National. That's got to be rewarding considering the work Weir has put into his swing since November.

"I've been striking the ball pretty consistently most tournaments and I am starting to feel more comfortable with it and feel like I'm playing the game a little better now instead of thinking so much," Weir said over the weekend.

Weir also has a bit of good history at Carnoustie, where he finished 37th in his first British Open appearance in 1999.

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Look out for: Stuart Appleby
He climbed: 18 spots, from 49th to 31st
Because: He finished T3 at the AT&T National
Sure, Sunday didn't go exactly the way Stuart Appleby had hoped. Still, consider that it's Appleby's third top-five finish of the season and the first since he was seventh at the Masters in April.

He also was in the top 20 in the field in birdies, driving accuracy, greens in regulation and sand saves this week. The big question appears to be how will Appleby respond in two weeks at the British Open, where 4,950 FedExCup points -- 450 more than usual -- are given to the winner? It's tough to say. After a second-place finish at the Shell Houston Open earlier this year, he scored that seventh-place finish at Augusta. However, Appleby's history at Carnoustie is less than stellar. He missed the cut the last time the British Open was played there in 1999.