FedExCup Climbers: Canadian Open
 
Jul. 30, 2007

Jim Furyk may not have made the biggest move in the FedExCup standings this week, but he just may have made the most significant.

But then again, consider the moves of Ryan Palmer and Hunter Mahan, among others.

Things are getting tense. There are now just four events standing between the TOUR's best and the first PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. It's all about jockeying for position, which several players did expertly last weekend

Last Week: Canadian Open presented by Franklin Templeton Investments
This Week: World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Reno-Tahoe Open

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Biggest mover: Ryan Palmer
He moved: 62 spots, from 189th to 127th
Because: He finished T3 at the Canadian Open
How big was Palmer's tie for third north of the border last weekend? Consider the following: His best finish in a TOUR event this season before last weekend was a T34 at the PODS Championship in March.

Would he be a factor if he were to hold his position and make it into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup? It's tough to say. One thing that is surely not up for debate is that Palmer knows how to win on TOUR, having done it at the FUNAI Classic at Walt Disney World in 2004. Since then, it has been a bit of a struggle, though Palmer has sprinkled in a few top-three finishes. The key likely will be how much confidence Palmer takes away from this performance.

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Welcome to the top 15: Hunter Mahan
He moved: Four spots, from 16th to 12th
Because: He finished T5 at the Canadian Open
Sure, Mahan finished bogey, double on Sunday, but consider that the T5 finish was his fourth consecutive top-10 finish on TOUR, a streak that was started by his first career TOUR victory at the Travelers Championship last month. In that span, Mahan has pocketed more than $1.7 million and gained more than 7,000 FedExCup points.

How many is that? Quite a lot when you realize that just 25 players have earned 7,000 FedExCup points all season.

Mahan's move is even more significant when you consider that research suggest that starting the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup in the top 15 is crucial if you want a realistic chance of hoisting the Cup at THE TOUR Championship.

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Welcome to the top 50: Camilo Villegas
He moved: 10 spots, from 59th to 49th
Because: He finished T10 at the Canadian Open
A 66 on Sunday at Angus Glen gave Camilo his third top-10 finish of the season and his first since he tied for third at the AT&T Classic in May. The 66 also ties for his best round of the season, duplicating his final-round performance in the Honda Classic, where he lost a playoff to Mark Wilson.

Perhaps most significant, however, is the fact that Villegas led the field last weekend in greens in regulation at 84.7, including a perfect 100 in Friday's second round. How Villegas parlays this into the final few events in the regular season is anyone guess, but it's clear he has something to build on.

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Welcome to the top 100: Charlie Wi
He moved: Eight spots, from 101st to 93rd
Because: He finished T22 at the Canadian Open
This makes three consecutive top-25 efforts for Wi. He tied for second at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee last week and he finished tied for 16th at the Buick Open. In the past three weeks, Wi has collected 1,561 FedExCup points, nearly half of his year-to-date total.

Like Villegas, Wi also ranked in the top five in GIR amongst the players last week in Canada. It's also important to note that Wi is in the field next week at the Reno-Tahoe Open, where he made the cut in 2005.

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Keep an eye out for: Jim Furyk
He moved: Three spots, from sixth to third
Because: He won the Canadian Open
Have you thought about how many times Jim Furyk knocked on the door of victory this year before finally busting it down at the Canadian Open? He tied for fourth at the Sony Open in Hawaii, tied for sixth at Pebble Beach, tied for third at the Nissan Open, lost in a playoff at Colonial, tied for second at the U.S. Open, tied for fifth at the Buick Invitational and tied for third at the AT&T National.

Imagine what may happen now that he's broken that year-long victory drought.