Early winners have FedExCup advantage heading into stretch run

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Zach Johnson has just one top-10 in 2008. (Getty Images)

Needing a rally

Notable players deep down the current FedExCup points list:

Player Rank *Zach Johnson 77 *Justin Rose 101 *Heath Slocum 109 *Tim Clark 117 David Toms 143 Rocco Mediate 176

*Competed in all four Playoff events in 2007

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A year ago, Steve Lowery was on the outside looking in.

The PGA TOUR veteran, hobbled by an injury to his left wrist early in 2007, finished 151st in the regular season FedExCup standings. That meant Lowery missed out on the inaugural -- and very lucrative -- PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

Fast forward to 2008, though. Lowery ended an eight-year victory drought when he beat Vijay Singh in a playoff at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The victory was the third of a career that has spanned two decades.

So the man who was playing on a minor medical exemption this year suddenly secured his playing privileges through the 2010 season, and the 4,500 FedExCup points that went with that long-awaited victory have Lowery in the thick of the race at No. 19.

In fact, at the midway point of the regular season going into this week's EDS Byron Nelson Classic, nearly half the players -- 13, to be exact -- ranked among the top 30 in the current FedExCup standings have dramatically enhanced their chances to contend for the $10 million bonus.

Six of those players, including Lowery, ranked outside the top 100 on the FedExCup list at the end of the 2007 regular season. Like Lowery, four of those have 2008 victories to thank for their big improvement.

Johnson Wagner was 127th when the Playoffs began last year, but now stands 20th after his win at the Shell Houston Open. D.J. Trahan is 15th after capturing the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic after ending the 2007 regular season at No. 115.

Mercedes-Benz Championship winner Daniel Chopra is 16th after being 114th at the start of the Playoffs last year. J.B. Holmes, who ended the regular season last year at No. 112, used his second win at the FBR Open to move up to No. 11.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are 13 players who ranked among the top 30 when the inaugural Playoffs began last year nowhere near that mark right now. Take 2007 Masters champ Zach Johnson, for example. He was seventh, but currently stands 77th.

The No. 10 player in the world, Adam Scott, currently stands 92nd on the FedExCup standings after entering last year's Playoffs 10th on that list. David Toms, nursing a nagging back injury, is a distant 143rd (25th at the end of the Regular Season) while Sergio Garcia is 118th (13th), Heath Slocum is 109th (29th), Justin Rose 101st (22nd) and John Rollins 99th (16th).

At the top of the list, Tiger Woods may have a comfortable lead of 7,664 points over Phil Mickelson -- and he's more than halfway to his 2007 regular season total of 30,574.

The world No. 1 is rehabbing his left knee, though, and may not reappear until the Memorial Tournament or U.S. Open in June. So with THE PLAYERS Championship, where Mickelson is defending, on the horizon and three majors -- all offering 4,950 points each to the winner -- there are ample opportunities to gain ground as the second half of the race to the playoffs gets cranked up.

Stay tuned.