Aug. 6, 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 presented by Coca-Cola -- 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 PGA Championship. (For more on the FedExCup, click here. For current FedExCup standings, click here.)
| Currently in the top 30 |
| Kenny Perry |
2 |
20,878 |
| Phil Mickelson |
3 |
17,354 |
| Stewart Cink |
4 |
15,126 |
| Anthony Kim |
5 |
15,115 |
| Vijay Singh |
6 |
15,034 |
| Justin Leonard |
7 |
12,673 |
| Ryuji Imada |
8 |
10,854 |
| Geoff Ogilvy |
9 |
10,713 |
| Padraig Harrington |
10 |
10,605 |
| Robert Allenby |
11 |
10,402 |
| Boo Weekley |
12 |
9,334 |
| Jim Furyk |
13 |
9,247 |
| Sean O'Hair |
14 |
8,877 |
| K.J. Choi |
15 |
8,843 |
| D.J. Trahan |
16 |
8,344 |
| Trevor Immelman |
17 |
8,209 |
| Steve Stricker |
18 |
7,964 |
| Stuart Appleby |
19 |
7,963 |
| Sergio Garcia |
20 |
7,881 |
| J.B. Holmes |
21 |
7,643 |
| Chad Campbell |
22 |
7,574 |
| Adam Scott |
23 |
7,558 |
| Jeff Quinney |
24 |
7,329 |
| Stephen Ames |
25 |
6,913 |
| Hunter Mahan |
26 |
6,903 |
| Bart Bryant |
27 |
6,901 |
| Ernie Els |
28 |
6,870 |
| Rod Pampling |
29 |
6,856 |
| Woody Austin |
30 |
6,762 |
|
| Can move into the top 30 with... |
| A top-10 finish (current rank) |
| Chez Reavie (31) |
Daniel Chopra (32) |
Billy Mayfair (33) |
| Steve Marino (34) |
Andres Romero (35) |
Briny Baird (36) |
| Steve Lowery (37) |
Brian Gay (38) |
|
|
| A top-5 finish |
| Mike Weir (40) |
Jerry Kelly (41) |
Tommy Armour III (42) |
|
|
| A top-3 finish |
| Lee Westwood (43) |
Fredrik Jacobson (44) |
Johnson Wagner (45) |
| Heath Slocum (46) |
Parker McLachlin (47) |
Nicholas Thompson (48) |
| Bubba Watson (49) |
Brandt Snedeker (50) |
Rory Sabbatini (51) |
| Kevin Sutherland (52) |
Aaron Baddeley (53) |
Carl Pettersson (54) |
| Peter Lonard (55) |
Retief Goosen (56) |
Rocco Mediate (57) |
| Pat Perez (58) |
Ken Duke (59) |
Ben Crane (60) |
| Camilo Villegas (61) |
Ian Poulter (62) |
|
|
| A top-2 finish |
| Tom Pernice Jr. (64) |
John Merrick (65) |
Ben Curtis (66) |
| Dean Wilson (67) |
Ryan Moore (68) |
Nick O'Hern (69) |
| Steve Elkington (70) |
Cliff Kresge (71) |
Mathew Goggin (72) |
| Paul Goydos (73) |
Charlie Wi (74) |
Tim Clark (75) |
| Charles Howell III (76) |
John Senden (77) |
Jonathan Byrd (81) |
| Corey Pavin (83) |
Fred Couples (84) |
|
|
| A win |
| Alex Cejka (85) |
John Mallinger (86) |
Justin Rose (91) |
| Scott Verplank (93) |
Greg Kraft (96) |
George McNeill (97) |
| Mark Calcavecchia (102) |
Paul Casey (103) |
Steve Flesch (105) |
| Zach Johnson (109) |
Bob Tway (116) |
Vaughn Taylor (117) |
| Richard S. Johnson (119) |
Tom Lehman (122) |
Michael Allen (129) |
| David Toms (130) |
Angel Cabrera (132) |
|
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