Print this page  |  Close Window

By T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer

ATLANTA -- Tiger Woods with a lead of any kind is about as sure a bet as the sun rising, birds chirping and wind blowing.

Phil Mickelson is seven shots back despite a brilliant 66 on Friday. (WireImage)

So when Woods entered this week's TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola -- the finale of the inaugural PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup -- with the top spot in the FedExCup standings, it wasn't hard to spot the favorite to win when glancing down the sheet of the 30-man field.

But, it still wasn't a forgone conclusion. Four others -- Steve Stricker (No. 2), Phil Mickelson (3), Rory Sabbatini (4) and K.J. Choi (5) -- all mathematically had a shot at taking home the FedExCup.

While Woods put himself in a position to have a host of scenarios to win the overall $10 million Playoffs prize, the other contenders didn't have many.

Take the calculators and No. 2 pencils out of the pocket protectors and let's do some math.

For Stricker, the title would be his with an outright win; a second, provided Mickelson doesn't win and Woods finishes worse than third; a third if Sabbatini doesn't win, Mickelson finishes second or worse and Woods finishes 19th or worse.

If Mickelson were to win the FedExCup, it's going to take a win so long as Woods doesn't finish second; and a second, provided Stricker doesn't tie him for that spot and Woods doesn't finish fifth or better.

Sabbatini needs to win THE TOUR Championship, but can't have Mickelson take sole second, Stricker finish in a two-way tie for second, or Woods finish in a two-way tie for 13th.

Like Sabbatini, Choi needs a win and lots of help -- Stricker can't finish second, Mickelson can't finish third and Woods needs to finish 22nd or worse.

With things taking shape through two rounds of THE TOUR Championship it appears those scenarios could be a moot point. Woods will take a three-shot advantage over the field into the weekend, looking to win for the fourth time in five starts.

Even with 36 holes left to go, the chances of any of the four catching Woods for the FedExCup, or THE TOUR Championship, are bleak at best.

The way things are going, it might take Woods playing left-handed with his right-handed clubs while wearing a blindfold with his feet tied together to lose the FedExCup.

Even then it could be tough.

Choi is in the best position of the others not named Woods. After 36 holes at East Lake, the South Korean who has two wins this season, is 8-under par after a second-round 65 and five shots off the pace.

Steve Stricker -- the only other man besides Tiger Woods who can win the title outright with a win -- is nine shots back. (WireImage)

"It was a goal of mine to play this week in a tournament where the best play," Choi said. "It felt good and I'm scoring. I'm very happy with this year. I'm just so proud and it's been a great year."

Mickelson is the next best at 6 under.

"I'm going to need to play some good golf here on the weekend," Mickelson said. "I've felt like I've been playing fairly solid but I have not gotten the ball as close to the hole or made as many putts as I would like. On this course there's a lot of birdies out there, so I have got to get aggressive tomorrow. Hopefully some putts will fall and I'll be able to make a run where I have a chance on Sunday."

Sabbatini has posted two bogey-free rounds and is 4-under par, but can't get out of his own way with the flat stick as evidence of his 60 putts total in the two rounds, 30 in each.

Stricker, the ultimate feel-good story of the Playoffs, is also 4 under, but had to endure the clinic put on by his playing partner Woods, who closed out the front nine of his second round with five consecutive birdies before breaking up the streak with an eagle.

"What can you do? He's making it from everywhere, he holes out a bunker shot," Stricker said, shaking his head and laughing. "I had it inside of him a couple of times and I walk off with par and he makes a birdie. I'm grinding like heck just to try and make those putts and knocking them in there. Again, what can you do? I just kept plugging away, trying to play my own game. It was a lot of fun. We had a good time and there's not much else I can do. It was unbelievable there for a while, what he was doing."

"He's going to be tough to catch," Stricker said. "He's swinging with a lot of confidence and he's making a lot of putts. I'll be surprised if he doesn't win. On the second 18 he was hitting a few shots a little bit to the right, but it doesn't matter. He's so strong and he gets it on the green out of the rough. I can't do that. Most of the lies I had, I was just hacking them out short of the green. He finds a way to get a lot of club on the ball and gets it up there. That's what's amazing. Even when he drives it in the rough he finds a way to get it up there on the green and sometimes makes birdies."

If Stricker can't come out on top, he made it clear that he'd be pulling for Woods -- and for good reason.

"If I don't win, I'm hoping that he [Woods] wins, to tell you the truth, as far as the FedExCup goes," Stricker said. "If he wins, he takes all those points with him. That's the way I'm looking at it. I'm still going to have to play well. Phil is just behind me in the points list, and K.J. Choi and guys like that, where if they play well they could end up passing me. I want to protect my spot, too. I want to make sure I stay at least second on that list. So I've got a lot riding on this weekend, and I want to play well."