FedExCup Notes: Round 3

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Phil Mickelson, second, 10,846 pts

• Obviously, at second in the FedExCup points standings, Mickelson is playing well. But his win at the Northern Trust Open obscures just how well he's playing. He is second in average points per start, and fourth in average points per start, excluding wins.

• With the exception of his missed cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Mickelson has not been outside the top 25 in any of his 10 other starts, including a win, a second, a tie for fifth and a tie for sixth.

Johnson Wagner, 29th, 5,058 pts

• Wagner's victory at the Shell Houston Open accounts for almost 90 percent of his total points, and is the only event in which he's earned over 200 points.

• However, his play has been much stronger in the last couple of months -- after missing six cuts in his first seven starts, he's made six in his last seven starts.

Geoff Ogilvy, 7th, 8,442 pts

• Geoff Ogilvy is having a very solid year. Not only did he win the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, he is averaging over 370 points per start, even excluding his 4,725-point win at Doral.

Matt Kuchar, 72nd, 2,729 pts

• With a third place or better finish this week, Kuchar could move into the top-30 in the FedExCup standings.

• His success will be predicated on his accuracy from the tee. Kuchar's approach shots suffer greatly when he is not in the fairway. He ranks T11 in proximity to the hole from the fairway, but is 102nd from the rough.

Brian Gay, 37th, 4,115 pts

• Since winning the Mayakoba earlier this season, Gay has only recorded one additional top-10 finish.

• He needs to finish in the top five to have a chance of moving into the top-30 in the standings.

Stephen Ames, 35th, 4,437 pts

• Ames is quietly having a solid season, and a top three finish here could move him into the top-20 in the standings and a win would give him a good chance to enter the playoffs in the top-10.

Steve Lowery, 31st, 4,884 pts

• Lowery is a perfect example that you cannot just win one and hope it is enough to carry a player through the season. After winning the AT&T Pebble Beach in his second start of the season he has only earned a total of 103 points in seven starts while falling from third in the standings to 31st.

Kevin Sutherland, 43rd, 3,771 pts

• Sutherland finished in the top-10 in the earlier events played in the state of Texas this year (EDS and Shell), earning almost 40 percent of his points in Texas events.

• A top three here this week would move Sutherland into the top-30 in the standings.