Field Study: Deutsche Bank Championship

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Vijay Singh is the current FedExCup point leader.

Aug. 27, 2008
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

As the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup continue, the pressure is mounting. PGATOUR.COM takes a look at what the 115 players in the field have to gain.

Field Study: Deutsche Bank Championship

Players are organized by current FedExCup ranking

Rk.	Last week	Name	Deutsche Bank Starts	Best Finish/Year
1	7	Vijay Singh	4	1st (2004)
The big Fijian's six-week plan has resulted in two victories, and he's got three top-four finishes at TPC Boston
2	12	Sergio Garcia	1	T17 (2007)
Garcia has been runner-up in his last two starts, including a playoff loss at The Barclays -- will the third be the charm?
3	57	Kevin Sutherland	4	T50 (2006)
Last week's playoff loss gave Sutherland a big boost and now he's in contention for the biggest prize of his career
4	3	Phil Mickelson	1	1st (2007)
Positive vibes from last year's successful duel with Tiger Woods may be just what the lefthander needs
5	8	Justin Leonard	3	T15 (2005)
Another steady performance last week in a tie for seventh. Can he take the next step?
6	5	Anthony Kim	0	(N/A)
A closing 67 at Ridgewood sent him off in the right direction
7	2	Kenny Perry	2	T30 (2006)
The man who was the active leader in points took quite a tumble after that closing 76 and tie for 48th at The Barclays
8	27	Ben Curtis	3	MC (2003, 2004, 2005)
He's only broken par once in six rounds at TPC Boston
9	6	Stewart Cink	2	T29 (2003)
The last time this Southern boy played in New England he won the Travelers Championship in June
10	15	Jim Furyk	3	T13 (2003)
Still looking for his first win of 2008, and this would be the perfect time to get it
11	17	K.J. Choi	3	T32 (2003)
Three rounds in the 60s at Ridgewood have the Korean moving in the right direction
12	11	Robert Allenby	4	4th (2006)
This Aussie could be a threat, he hasn't finished lower than 19th at TPC Boston
13	19	Stuart Appleby	2	MC (2003, 2007)
TPC Boston hasn't been kind to him, but he comes in with a T2, T15 and T19 in his last three starts on TOUR
14	13	Carl Pettersson	4	T4 (2005)
He didn't lose much FedExCup ground with last week's tie for 48th
16	21	Steve Stricker	5	T9 (2007)
A year ago, he came here on a high after winning The Barclays; this year he lost his chance with a 77 on Saturday
17	22	J.B. Holmes	1	MC (2007)
This Kentucky native has two Cups on his mind and this week left to impress U.S. Captain Paul Azinger
18	43	Mike Weir	1	T30 (2007)
Maybe it's the Playoff beard, but Weir tied for seventh last week at The Barclays and made a big move in the standings
19	20	Trevor Immelman	3	T23 (2007)
Masters champ moved up a spot despite a solo 70th last week; he needs to step it up to be a factor
20	47	Nicholas Thompson	1	T61 (2006)
His first career Playoff start was a good one as the tie for seventh move the Georgia Tech product into the upper echelon
21	23	Chad Campbell	1	T60 (2007)
Last week's tie for 65th could have been better had it not been for a closing 76, but it still produced a little movement for the quiet Texan
22	26	Andres Romero	0	(N/A)
Feast or famine last week at The Barclays still resulted in a modest FedExCup climb
23	4	Padraig Harrrington	1	MC (2007)
Last week's missed cut cost the winner of the last two majors dearly
24	36	Jerry Kelly	2	T65 (2007)
The last two weeks have been good for Kelly as he's climbed a total of 20 spots with a tie for ninth and a tie for 19th
25	31	Hunter Mahan	5	T22 (2006)
He set Ridgewood on fire with a 62 in the first round last week but played his next three rounds in 7 over
26	76	Mathew Goggin	2	MC (2003, 2006)
He was one of five big movers last week after a tie for fourth at The Barclays
27	29	Briny Baird	5	T19 (2003)
He's never missed a cut at TPC Boston and needs another solid finish to remain in the FedExCup top 30
28	51	Ken Duke	2	T65 (2007)
Top-20 finishes in five of his last six starts have produced a steady climb and the last boosted him into the top-30 for the first time
29	37	Billy Mayfair	5	T32 (2003)
This is the second time he's been among the top 30 this year -- he'll need to play well to stay there
30	56	Bubba Watson	2	T12 (2006)
A tie for 12th at The Barclays bumped Bubba into the top 30
31	9	Ryuji Imada	3	T17 (2007)
He'd been in the FedExCup top 10 since he won the AT&T Classic but took a big tumble with last week's missed cut
32	10	Geoff Ogilvy	3	T5 (2003)
Win at the CA Championship moved the Aussie into the top 10, but 12 starts later, he's on the outside looking in after Sundays MC
33	66	Dudley Hart	3	MC (2004, 2006)
A steady season and last week's tie for 12th have him in the upper echelon
34	55	Rory Sabbatini	1	T6 (2007)
A year ago, he came to Boston among the players with a chance to win it all; now he's trying to climb back to the upper class
35	49	Brandt Snedeker	1	T47 (2007)
Interesting points note -- he tied for 69th at Greensboro and didnt move but last week's tie for 68th resulted in a 14-spot gain
36	14	Boo Weekley	1	T41 (2007)
The popular Floridian can't afford any more missed cuts like at The Barclays
37	102	Kevin Streelman	0	(N/A)
One of five rookies playing this week and the man who made the biggest leap with a well-timed tie for fourth at The Barclays
38	90	Paul Casey	0	(N/A)
The Brit gained big FedExCup ground with last week's tie for seventh and may have earned a Captain's Pick for the Ryder Cup in the process
39	16	Sean O'Hair	3	T9 (2007)
He's never missed a cut at the Deutsche Bank Championship (like he did at The Barclays) and has two top-15 finishes at TPC Boston
40	60	Tim Clark	3	T11 (2003)
The South African has gained 35 spots in the FedExCup standings in the last two weeks
41	64	John Senden	5	T13 (2003)
He's only shot one round over par in his last two tournaments and five rounds in the 60s
42	18	D.J. Trahan	4	MC (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007)
He can't afford another missed cut -- like at last week's Barclays -- at a course where he's never played the weekend
43	66	Charlie Wi	2	T14 (2007)
To show the volatility of the Playoffs -- a tie for ninth at the PGA Championship gave him a seven-spot boost while last week's tie for 65th moved him 20
44	69	John Merrick	0	(N/A)
He was eliminated in the first round of the Playoffs last year but another solid week could send him to St. Louis
45	70	Dean Wilson	4	T19 (2003)
He's playing well with two ties for third last month
46	71	Steve Elkington	2	T23 (2007)
He opened with a 66 last year at TPC Boston, and needs another good performance to stick around.
47	24	Adam Scott	4	1st (2003)
An 82 in the second round last week brought a second straight cut -- maybe former success at TPC Boston will turn things around
48	72	Paul Goydos	3	T30 (2007)
He rose 22 spots after finishing 72nd at The Barclays - his biggest jump since moving 104 spots in the playoff loss at THE PLAYERS
49	80	Mark Wilson	5	T10 (2005)
Playing well at the right time, hes posted top-25s in his last five starts, including two top-10s
50	25	Jeff Quinney	1	MC (2007)
He's missed the cut in five of his last seven starts, including last week at Ridgewood, and was DQed in another
51	83	Kevin Na	2	69th (2007)
Needs another good week to remain in the running for a spot at the BMW Championship
52	28	Ernie Els	0	(N/A)
Can he have the same success as another Butch Harmon client, Phil Mickelson, in his first Deutsche Bank Championship appearance?
53	100	Scott Verplank	0	(N/A)
He broke par in each of the final three rounds last week to tie for 12th and make sure he advanced to the second round
54	30	Stephen Ames	2	T55 (2007)
He's missed the cut in three of his last four starts after that solid tie for seventh at Royal Birkdale
55	86	Brian Davis	3	T72 (2007)
He's got three top-20s in his last four starts, including a tie for second in Reno
56	32	Bart Bryant	2	T41 (2007)
He hasn't broken par in his last nine rounds and he's missed his last two cuts
57	85	Jonathan Byrd	5	T13 (2003)
He's never missed a cut at the TPC Boston and he needs another solid finish to make the field for St. Louis
58	33	Rod Pampling	2	T41 (2007)
He tied for third at AT&T National but has missed three of his last four cuts, including the last two
59	34	Woody Austin	2	MC (2003, 2004)
Did the disappointment of the missed cut at the PGA Championship take too much out of him?
60	35	Chez Reavie	0	(N/A)
That win in Canada can't carry him through the Playoffs, especially after last week's missed cut at The Barclays
61	38	Steve Marino	2	T47 (2005)
He tied for third in Canada but hasn't finished higher than 53rd in his last three starts -- and he tumbled with that missed cut last week
62	92	John Mallinger	1	T14 (2007)
Until last week's 30-spot FedExCup climb, he had lost points in six starts after tying for 10th at the Memorial Tournament
63	39	Brian Gay	3	T66 (2006)
He didn't get past the Deutsche Bank Championship last year and last week's missed cut puts him in danger again
64	40	Daniel Chopra	4	T4 (2004)
He followed up a pair of top-20s with two straight missed cuts to make a negative move
65	98	Jay Williamson	3	8th (2004)
Five of his last eight rounds have been in the 60s as he gets moving in the right direction
66	41	Steve Lowery	3	T18 (2006)
He hasn't made a positive move since he tied for sixth at the Memorial -- now is the time
67	128	Martin Laird	0	(N/A)
He's faced elimination each of the last two weeks, but he's definitely playing his best golf of the season with three straight top-10s
68	42	Camilo Villegas	3	T9 (2007)
Last year's big mover is in danger of elimination this week
69	95	Lucas Glover	4	T12 (2006)
He's shot under par in seven of his last eight rounds, including three last week at Ridgewood
70	101	George McNeill	1	T17 (2007)
This is the man on the bubble - his Playoff bid stopped here last year
72	99	Eric Axley	1	T27 (2006)
He rallied from an opening 78 to make the cut last week and move up - he needs another clutch performance this week
73	45	Aaron Baddeley	5	5th (2007)
A third straight top-10 at TPC Boston should send him on to the BMW Championship
74	46	Fredrik Jacobson	2	T9 (2007)
The Swede needs to get back on track after last week's missed cut if he wants to survive and go to St. Louis
75	48	Tommy Armour III	3	T32 (2006)
He had a nice run of five top-10s in 10 starts, but he's fading with missed cuts in his last two starts
77	105	Charley Hoffman	2	MC (2006, 2007)
Nine of his last 16 rounds have been in the 60s, but this is do-or-die time
78	52	Johnson Wagner	0	(N/A)
He didn't reach the second round of the Playoffs last year, and he'll need to improve on two straight missed cuts to survive this week
79	53	Heath Slocum	5	T23 (2007)
After two missed cuts, he's in danger of being eliminated from the Playoffs
80	54	Parker McLachlin	0	(N/A)
He's lost 33 FedExCup spots since his win in Reno, so this is a key week
81	107	Bill Haas	2	T9 (2004)
Eliminated after the first round of the Playoffs a year ago, he is on the outside looking in again this week
82	58	Retief Goosen	1	MC (2007)
He couldn't maintain the momentum of that tie for fourth in Akron, so his back is against the wall
83	111	Nick Watney	4	MC (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007)
He needs to move forward after three missed cuts in his last five starts
84	59	Peter Lonard	3	T24 (2003)
He hasn't finished higher than a 68th in three starts since that tie for sixth at the Bridgestone Invitational
85	120	Patrick Sheehan	4	T47 (2003)
Last week's bubble boy knows what to do - a tie for 24th at The Barclays kept him around for another week
86	61	Rocco Mediate	2	2nd (2003)
One of the game's most popular players is in danger of making an early exit -- another missed cut like last week will do him in
87	114	Rich Beem	2	T30 (2007)
The poster boy for the Playoff changes has moved up 79 spots in the last two weeks, but he's not guaranteed a spot in St. Louis yet
88	62	Pat Perez	3	MC (2003, 2004)
He hasn't gained ground in the FedExCup since finishing solo sixth at Colonial
89	63	Ian Poulter	1	MC (2007)
The colorful Brit needs a good finish at TPC Boston to get into the top 70 -- and impress Ryder Cup Captain Nick Faldo
90	118	Brett Quigley	5	MC (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
The local favorite has never fared well at TPC Boston, so he's got quite the uphill climb
91	116	Bo Van Pelt	4	T10 (2004)
He's made three straight cuts at TPC Boston and he'll need another - at least - to have a chance at the third Playoff event
92	65	Ben Crane	2	T62 (2004)
Back problems kept him out of last year's Playoffs, not he controls his own destiny
93	131	Angel Cabrera	1	T23 (2007)
His game appears to be on the upswing at the right time with top-20s in his last two starts
94	67	Tom Pernice, Jr.	5	T32 (2003)
Last week's missed cut was costly; he cant afford another if he wants to advance
95	122	Richard S. Johnson	4	T17 (2004)
His win in Milwaukee put him in the Playoffs, now he needs to play well to stay there
96	127	Jason Day	0	(N/A)
The young Aussie, who was playing the Nationwide Tour last year, needs to build on Saturday's 66 at Ridgewood
97	126	Tim Petrovic	5	T15 (2005)
The New Englander has three top-22 finishes at TPC Boston, but he was eliminated here last year when he missed the cut
98	73	Ryan Moore	2	T12 (2006)
Five missed cuts in his last seven starts, including at The Barclays, have the promising twenty-something losing ground
99	133	Tim Herron	5	T15 (2005)
A good finish would help him on two counts -- advancing in the Playoffs and keeping his card
100	74	Nick O'Hern	1	MC (2007)
He needs to get back on track after two missed cuts, or he'll leave the Playoffs early
101	75	Cliff Kresge	3	T17 (2007)
Last year's tie for 17th at TPC Boston wasn't enough to let him advance but with more volatility, it might do the trick this year
102	77	Scott McCarron	0	(N/A)
He's had two top-five finishes and three missed cuts in his last five starts and finds himself behind the eight-ball
104	79	Charles Howell III	4	T4 (2005)
He could use another top-10 to go with the two he already has at TPC Boston
105	139	Jesper Parnevik	3	T29 (2004)
A closing 69 and tie for 24th at The Barclays kept him around for another week, but now he has more work to do
106	132	Ryan Palmer	3	T17 (2004)
He was sitting pretty last week until closing with a 76 - he'll need to get back on track to survive
107	81	Matt Kuchar	4	T17 (2004)
He's missed his last five cuts
108	134	Michael Allen	3	T59 (2004)
He's only broken par twice in 10 rounds at TPC Boston
109	82	John Rollins	4	T4 (2004)
He tied for second at Reno and was playing well, but his putter is cranky and he's missed his last two cuts
110	135	J.J. Henry	5	6th (2006)
The new daddy didn't get in a practice round at Ridgewood and still tied for 55th - he'll need to do better this week
111	143	Glen Day	3	T13 (2003)
He missed the Playoffs by three spots last year, but has momentum after last week's tie for 24th
112	136	Frank Lickliter II	4	T7 (2006)
He faces elimination for the second straight week, but has had success at TPC Boston
113	84	Steve Flesch	5	T7 (2003)
Last week's missed cut at Ridgewood more than erased his gain for a sixth-place finish at the PGA Championship
114	87	Corey Pavin	1	T47 (2003)
He's playing in Boston for the first time since 2003, and desperately needs to end a string of two missed cuts
115	142	Jeff Overton	2	T40 (2006)
Solid performance at The Barclays kept him in the Playoffs. Even with the climb, he'll need another this week to advance
116	141	Justin Bolli	1	MC (2005)
He's avoided elimination the last two weeks. Can he do it again?
117	88	Michael Letzig	0	(N/A)
Letzig, who was playing on the Nationwide Tour last year, can't afford another missed cut
118	89	Fred Couples	1	T8 (2005)
He took in the Yankees-Red Sox game on Tuesday but he needs to get down to business now
119	144	Lee Janzen	4	T37 (2004)
The last man into the Playoffs is trying to beat fate again this week