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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

HARRISON, N.Y. -- Fredrik Jacobson, no relation to Peter, was asked about the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup following his second-round 67 at The Barclays. He said that he was excited about them. He was the first player who I heard describe them as fun.

Everyone in the field this week has plenty to gain, says Fredrik Jacobson. (Chris Condon/PGA TOUR/WireImage)

While most players are going about things this week as if it is business as usual, Fredrik brought up an interesting point. He said that no matter where you are on the points list, you have something to play for this week. What he meant, though, was something more.

Look no farther than Bob Heintz. Early in July, he was well outside the top 144 in FedExCup points. A fifth-place finish at Milwaukee that matched his best-ever on the PGA TOUR moved the Yale alum up the points list. He matched that finish again the next week at the Canadian Open presented by Franklin Templeton Investments and secured his place in The Barclays, which is the first Playoff event.

Ranked No. 132 in FedExCup points, Bob needs to move up into the top 120 to play next week in Boston. His opening-round 69 put him in good position. However, he struggled Friday and came to the last hole 3 over for the day and 1 over for the tournament. He would need birdie to not only avoid the cut but to continue on in the playoffs.

The 18th is a par 5 that many players can reach in two. However, on Friday, the breeze freshened into Bob's face. With 260 yards to the front, rather than going for the green, he laid up into the fairway 70 yards from a back hole location. After a lengthy discussion with his caddy, he played a low wedge shot to 7 feet.

With so much of his season riding on the putt, Bob calmly rolled the ball into the hole to advance to the weekend. Although Bob is a long way from reaching the next round of the Playoffs, he isn't starting his late summer vacation just yet.

Bob wasn't the only player in the morning to birdie his final hole to get back inside the cut line. Bob Estes and Doug LaBelle II both made birdie to complete 36 holes at even par and slip into the weekend, as well.

Doug birdied the par-5 ninth to get back to even par. That birdie may have been as significant as any made this week. Doug entered the playoffs at No. 121. He started the week just 75 points behind Mathew Goggin, who missed the cut. Should Doug play decently this weekend, he will need to change his flight for Sunday night to head north instead of south.

As Fredrik said, everyone has something to play for.

You don't have to look very far down the leaderboard to see the man who has the potential to make the biggest move. Rich Beem came into The Barclays ranked 134th in FedExCup points. Obviously, if he remains in second place, he will make an enormous move into the top 70 and put himself in position to possibly play in the third Playoff event.

Bill Haas is in the midst of his own survival story. He came into the week ranked 125th in FedExCup points. At 4 under through two rounds he is in a nice position to make a big move this weekend. However, he will have to continue to play well this weekend to move into the field for the Deutsche Bank Championship next week. If he has a solid weekend and finishes 15th, Bill could quietly sneak into the field.

As the Playoffs progress, there will be many players who will make moves. Some of those moves will go relatively unnoticed. They will be lost in the excitement of the guys vying for the FedExCup and the $10 million bonus that goes with it.

Fredrik was right, though. Every player in the field has an a lot to gain this week. The 9,000 FedExCup points to the winner seem to be the focus of everyone's attention. The fact that there is a check for $1.26 million that accompanies those points seems to be a non-factor. Not once this week have I heard a player or a member of the media mention the fact that The Barclays has the largest purse in its history -- $7 million to be distributed among those who make the cut.

The silence about the money speaks volumes to the adaptation to the new system. The Playoffs are in full swing and for the first time in the game's rich history, no one is talking about money.