T.J.'s Take: Outside the top 125? Then step right up!

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Patrick Sheehan hopes to join the list of players outside the top 125 on the money list who have won during the Fall Series.

We've reached the end of the 2008 PGA TOUR season. The schedule wraps up this week in Disney World for the Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart.

Is there a better place to end the season? For those who have enjoyed success throughout the year on TOUR, it's a great family trip -- a spot where the preparation for the tournament might be secondary to taking in some time with the kids to stroll through the various theme parks.

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For those who have struggled, Disney World -- the place where dreams are made -- is one last chance to shore up a spot in the top 125 on the money list and avoid an offseason of what-ifs and a trip to the place where nightmares are made, q-school.

So far, the Fall Series has been kind to the desperate. Actually, "kind" might be an understatement -- it's been extraordinary.

In the first six tournaments of the seven-event series, each winner had previously been outside of the top 125, with the exception of Zach Johnson, who was No. 125 before his victory at the Valero Texas Open. With each win, of course, comes a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR.

Interestingly, Johnson was the only player among the winners -- Will MacKenzie (Viking Classic), Dustin Johnson (Turning Stone Resort Championship), Marc Turnesa (Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open), Cameron Beckman (Frys.com Open) and Ryan Palmer (Ginn sur Mer Classic) -- who didn't need a spot in the top 125 to secure playing privileges for 2009. As the 2007 Masters champion, Zach Johnson already has a five-year exemption on TOUR. The win bolstered his confidence nonetheless.

With the clock winding down on several players and that magical top 125 (the final spot is currently occupied by Jeff Overton, which in itself is a "miracle" seeing as he underwent an emergency appendectomy less than three weeks ago), here's a look at five guys on the outside looking in who I think could win and flip an otherwise so-so season into a massive success (click here for complete money list):

PATRICK SHEEHAN. Ranked No. 129 to start the week, Sheehan has made the cut in 26 of his 34 starts on TOUR in 2008. That's some pretty consistent playing.

He has the talent to win on TOUR but hasn't managed to get the job done yet. Disney has been a place that welcomes first-time winners with open arms, so why not Sheehan this time around?

Typically, Disney is a birdie-fest. Sheehan is more than capable of playing this type of golf, but which Pat will show up on the weekend? The one who has shot as high as a 79 in the final round (that happened in Vegas, another birdie-fest tournament, where his previous three rounds were 68-69-66)? Or the Pat who can shoot Sunday a 65 or 66 like he did this year in Cancun and Greensboro?

JAY WILLIAMSON. I had to double-check the notes on this guy, who currently sits at No. 132. My first thought was, really? Williamson is outside of the top 125?

The guy lost in a playoff to Kenny Perry at the John Deere Classic and then earned a trip to his first British Open the next week by virtue of that finish. Other than that, not such a hot year for Williamson.

In the northeast, it cools off as we transition from summer to fall. For Williamson, summer turned to the bitter cold of winter -- he's made the cut in just one of the previous six Fall Series events. That came in the Viking Classic, where he tied for 32nd, which means he's missed the cut in his last five consecutive starts.

How the heck does that make Williamson a player to watch this week? Fair question. I'll explain. Prior to winning in Scottsdale a few weeks back, Beckman had missed the cut in four of his previous five starts. If we've learned anything from this Fall Series so far, it's to expect the unexpected. Streaks in the fall last for days, not weeks. If Williamson can put four of those days together, he'll snag his first TOUR win.

JASON DAY. It would be cruel to call the rookie from Australia a bust. Shoot, he's just 19 years old. I've got to be honest, though -- I expected a little more this season than Day's current No. 138 standing on the money list. There are peaks and valleys throughout any season, even for the most grizzled veteran but especially for a rookie. Day is a prime example of that.

At the start of the year, the buzz was about Day's "outlandish" comments, stating how he wanted to challenge Tiger Woods for the No. 1 spot in the world. In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with high expectations. Who doesn't want to be No. 1 and why is it so dirty to admit it? That's the only way you can get better.

Day's best finish this season was sixth at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. That was just one of two top 10s. He's missed the cut 15 times in 27 starts. Why would this week be different? I'm not sure. It just seems like he'll be a complete player one day and he's shown flashes of brilliance. Plus, isn't Disney a place for kids to enjoy?

JOE DURANT. The man who currently occupies the No. 143 spot on the money list is a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR and that includes a victory at Disney in 2006. He's one of the purest ball-strikers on TOUR, as well as one of the most likable.

Of course, likability doesn't lock up a TOUR card -- if it did, Durant would have a lifetime exemption.

However, Durant is a veteran on the PGA TOUR. He knows what he needs to do and he can get it done late in the season. He has before.

FRANK LICKLITER II. The man behind the shades starts this week ranked No. 145 on the money list. Off the course, it's been a tremendous year for Lickliter, as he welcomed twin boys to the world. On the course, it's been a different story.

In 2007, Lickliter won the final stage of q-school to earn his TOUR card. However, that momentum just didn't carry over. He's missed the cut eight times in 31 starts, including six straight during a stretch over the summer.

In terms of making it to the weekend, Lickliter has been pretty good in 2008. The issue has been closing it out. With a third-round scoring average of 71.59 (161st on TOUR) and a final-round average of 72.60 (ranked 180th), it's easy to see where Lickliter needs to improve.

Lickliter tied for second at Disney in 2006. Can the two-time TOUR winner improve that position by one spot this time around?

T.J. Auclair is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.