FedExCup Notes: Week five -- FBR Open

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Eight of the top 10 in the current FedExCup standings are playing this week . Seven of the top 10 from last year's FedExCup are in the field this week. Only three -- Steve Stricker, Rory Sabbatini and K.J. Choi -- are on both Top-10 lists.

Rory Sabbatini is off to a hot start in '08. (Gross/GettyImages)

Phil Mickelson, Aaron Baddeley, Mark Calcavecchia and Vijay Singh are the other 2007 Top-10 players who are in the field. They are all currently ranked between 30th and 42nd.

Fast starters through four weeks:
Daniel Chopra and DJ Trahan, two players who didn't win last year but already have a victory in 2008 are of course off to a faster start this year than last.

Justin Leonard, who got hot during the Fall Series has continued his terrific play through the first four events of the FedExCup season. Rory Sabbatini, who was the sixth seed in the Playoffs last year, is nearly 4,000 points ahead of his 2007 pace.

Steve Stricker, who didn't win in the Regular Season but still played well enough to be the 12th seed, is starting even stronger in 2008 and is currently in seventh on the FedExCup points list. Chez Reavie, a Nationwide Tour graduate, is the highest ranked rookie at 25th, with 1,045 points.

Every week matters:
John Rollins would have dropped from 16th to 28th seed, in danger of missing THE TOUR Championship, without his second -lace finish. Aaron Baddeley and Heath Slocum, both seeded in the top 30 last year, would have dropped to 59th and 46th, respectively, without their FBR finishes in 2007. Quinney, Matteson, Taylor and Lonard would have dropped out of the top 70, which was the cut-off for the BMW Championship.