Jul. 8, 2008
When it comes to the FedExCup, the players on the PGA TOUR understand one important thing -- finishing the regular season in the top 30 in points is the best way to position themselves for the Playoffs and the $10 million first prize that awaits the champion.
Last year, going into the final event of the Playoffs -- THE TOUR Championship -- six players had a mathematical chance to win the FedExCup. All six were top 30 seeds entering the Playoffs.
Even with the revised point system that is in effect for this season, 12 players -- all top 30 seeds -- would have had a mathematical chance to win the Cup that was eventually claimed by Tiger Woods last year.
Meanwhile, no top 30 seed who made the cut in the first two Playoff events missed THE TOUR Championship, which is limited to 30 players.
Thus, the importance of being in the top 30 cannot be overstated. Here's how it breaks down for those players participating in this week's John Deere Classic. (For more on the FedExCup, click here. For current FedExCup standings, click here.)
| Currently in the top 30 |
| Kenny Perry |
3 |
15,933 |
D.J. Trahan |
16 |
7,528 |
| J.B. Holmes |
17 |
7,525 |
Sean O'Hair |
21 |
6,801 |
| Bart Bryant |
23 |
6,755 |
Woody Austin |
29 |
5,931 |
| Steve Lowery |
30 |
5,890 |
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| Can move into the top 30 with ... |
| A top-10 finish (current rank) |
| Tommy Armour III (33) |
Chad Campbell (34) |
Brian Gay (36) |
| Johnson Wagner (37) |
Jerry Kelly (38) |
Bubba Watson (40) |
| Heath Slocum (42) |
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| A top-5 finish |
| Aaron Baddeley (45) |
Pat Perez (46) |
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| A top-3 finish |
| Ben Crane (48) |
Steve Marino (51) |
Carl Pettersson (53) |
| Ryan Moore (55) |
Kevin Sutherland (57) |
Nicholas Thompson (60) |
| John Merrick (61) |
Peter Lonard (63) |
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| A top-2 finish |
| Matt Kuchar (65) |
John Senden (66) |
Dean Wilson (69) |
| Jonathan Byrd (71) |
John Mallinger (73) |
Tim Clark (74) |
| Nathan Green (76) |
Billy Mayfair (79) |
Matt Jones (83) |
| Lucas Glover (84) |
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| A win |
| Michael Letzig (85) |
Troy Matteson (86) |
Parker McLachlin (88) |
| Nick Watney (89) |
Kevin Na (90) |
Bill Haas (91) |
| Charley Hoffman (92) |
George McNeil (95) |
Mark Wilson (96) |
| Charlie Wi (97) |
Mark Calcavecchia (98) |
Ken Duke (99) |
| Charles Warren (103) |
Dustin Johnson (104) |
Joe Ogilvie (105) |
| James Driscoll (106) |
Zach Johnson (108) |
Shane Bertsch (109) |
| Jason Day (110) |
Tom Lehman (111) |
Brian Davis (112) |
| Tim Herron (114) |
Tim Petrovic (116) |
Bob Tway (118) |
| Vaughn Taylor (119) |
Frank Lickliter II (121) |
Chez Reavie (124) |
| Patrick Sheehan (125) |
Jon Mills (128) |
Tag Ridings (129) |
| Jason Gore (130) |
Erix Axley (133) |
Brad Adomonis (135) |
| Jeff Overton (136) |
Marco Dawson (137) |
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