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If Tiger doesn't win the FedExCup, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Lucas Glover and Hunter Mahan might take it themselves.

Welcome to PGATOUR.COM's newest feature. Each Monday, the Backspin will provide insight and analysis on the latest results, happenings and news on the PGA TOUR. We welcome your feedback; click here to let us know what you think!

What are our writers thinking about after the PGA Championship? A stunning loss by Tiger Woods, a gritty performance by Y.E. Yang and the shaping of the teams for the 2009 Presidents Cup matches.

Ryan Moore and Tiger Woods have both won U.S. Amateurs and now, both have won on the PGA TOUR with Moore getting his first career victory in a wild weekend at the Wyndham Championship. Both are in this week's first event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, too. That's about where the similarities end, though.

Does anyone think Moore can continue that momentum all the way through the Playoffs? It's like that old Hertz commercial says -- not exactly. Actually, you'd have a hard time finding anyone who thinks Woods isn't going to sweep through the next month of the season obliterating anyone in his path, or at the very least win the FedExCup rather easily, anyway. So rather than four people droning on about why Woods is going to win, we asked for four guys we like not named Tiger. Let the debate begin ...

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Wyndham Championship Replay

Want to hear what Ryan Moore said about his win at the Wyndham Championship? Click here MORE • Bittersweet for Kevin Stadler • Complete tourney coverage

STEVE STRICKER: It's funny how things work sometimes. Steve Stricker stumbles in with a final-round 77 to finish in a tie for third at the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer, but bounces back with four top-10s before winning twice in two months. Sergio Garcia just stumbles ... everywhere.

Last year, Garcia finished second in two Playoff events, tied for fifth in another and tied for second at the PGA Championship. This year, he barely made it to the postseason. Stricker, on the other hand, enters the Playoffs second in FedExCup points and has shown remarkable ability to bounce back time and time again, and once he got the first win of the year out of the way, the second wasn't far behind.

If anyone not named Tiger Woods is going to win the FedExCup, I think it will be Stricker. He knows how to seal the deal now, and all of the courses coming up suit him well -- Stricker finished in the top 20 in three of four playoff Playoff events last year and was second to Woods in the 2007 FedExCup (albeit under a different format).

Another reason I love Stricker's chances: The BMW Championship moving to Cog Hill outside of Chicago. Stricker won the 1996 Western Open there, and I think he'll win the BMW Championship there this year because the course fits his game so well. That will be the difference. -- Brian Wacker

PHIL MICKELSON: It's difficult to know exactly what shape Mickelson's golf game is in, other than the layer of rust that has accumulated since he adjusted his schedule in the wake of his wife's cancer diagnosis.

It's even more difficult to know what kind of mindset Mickelson will be in once the Playoffs start. Will he be in a competitive mode, ready for the four-tournament grind? Or will he just be glad to return to action -- a good result being viewed as a nice bonus?

First, Mickelson doesn't tee it up merely for the fun of it. It's doubtful he enjoyed his time at the PGA Championship when he just barely made the cut, dealt with some putting issues and finished a non-descript 73rd.

And while Cog Hill hasn't been kind to him as a pro, Mickelson has won at two other Playoffs venues, TPC Boston and East Lake. With The Barclays being held at Liberty National this week, Mickelson will be back in the warm embrace of New York fans, who should give him plenty of support (just like at Bethpage).

Really, who knows what to expect out of Mickelson in the Playoffs? Of course, when it comes to Lefty, we should always expect the unexpected. -- Mike McAllister

HUNTER MAHAN: He's got a lone PGA TOUR win -- the same as Chris Riley, Ryan Moore and Jason Bohn. And yet, I can't find a better sleeper pick for the Playoffs than Hunter Mahan.

My eyes stopped when I saw that Mahan's scoring average dropped from 70.78 to 70.08 this year. That might not sound like much, but Mahan was able to set his schedule this year to include tougher golf courses and tougher competition.

He has more than enough length, iron game and putting stroke to become this year's Camilo Villegas. It's unrealistic to expect Mahan to challenge Tiger Woods for the next four years, but four weeks? He can handle that.

"I feel very confident in what I'm doing," Mahan said after the PGA Championship. "I think I know how to fix it if it goes wrong. And I'm trusting it, which is extremely important."

So am I. -- Ryan Smithson

LUCAS GLOVER: If you weren't convinced that he could be a major player when he won at Bethpage Black, consider Lucas Glover's gritty fifth-place finish at the PGA Championship. The South Carolinian has the drive and the determination -- and now the confidence, as well -- to be one of the best, and that will serve him well during the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

Those closest to Glover have encouraged him to continue to trust himself and the game that propelled him to the U.S. Open championship. He's done that, too, posting five top-25 finishes in seven starts since the career-defining win. There's no reason to believe that Glover's solid play won't continue through the Playoffs, either.

Besides, Glover has an agenda. He dearly wants to make the U.S. Presidents Cup team -- and although Captain Fred Couples has said the Clemson grad and Hunter Mahan are already 80 percent there, Glover doesn't want there to be any wiggle room. He's already fifth in the FedExCup standings, and he's poised to come out firing during the Playoffs.

And who knows? A Playoff victory and a FedExCup win and we might have a race for PGA TOUR Player of the Year again, too. -- Helen Ross

Road to THE TOUR Championship

Chris Riley struggled down the stretch in the final round, but his third-round performance, which included a pitch-in eagle on No. 17 early Sunday, kept him right where he needed to be. Because he finished high enough, he's on his way to the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Which did you think was the best shot of the week? Cast your vote here and check in each week on the Road to the TOUR Championship. -- Brian Wacker

Stock up

Jason Bohn: Leaving it in the sand during the three-man playoff in Greensboro might be the cause of some nightmares, but not for too long. That's because Bohn still netted 245 points, moving him from 108th to 63rd. That could mean at least two weeks in those other Playoffs. FedExCup rank: 63 (108 last week) Kevin Stadler: The other victim in that playoff, Stadler jumped 57 spots on the FedExCup points list, meaning that rather than waiting for the Fall Series, the Baby Walrus has somewhere to play next week and possibly beyond. Remember, he played well for 36 holes at the Buick Open, too. FedExCup rank: 76 (133 last week) Michael Allen: He was already in the Playoffs, but this was the second time Allen has contended on TOUR this season. He didn't become the first player to win on just about every imaginable tour Sunday, but the Senior PGA Champ could most definitely do some damage in the postseason. FedExCup rank: 101 (121 last week)

Stock down

Sergio Garcia: Oh where to begin? At one point, Garcia looked like he had finally figured something out in his game and was about to lap the competition. Then he made three bogeys in five holes, and that was that. Yes, he moved way up in the FedExCup standings, but keep playing like that, and it'll be an early exit. FedExCup rank: 89 (115 last week) Adam Scott: How do you miss a cut? By needing 66 putts for two rounds. That, a week after Scott had 70 in the first two rounds of the PGA. Whatever is going on in Scott's game, it's completely broken, which includes his confidence, at least on the greens. Scott survived -- barely -- but he won't survive next week. FedExCup rank: 116 (111 last week) Andres Romero: When you're sitting on the bubble like Romero was, ranked 125th coming into last week, showing up to try to secure your spot in the Playoffs is a good idea. Except apparently if you're Romero, who skipped Greensboro to go home and work on his game. Now he'll have plenty of time to do that. FedExCup rank: 132 (125 last week)

A Quick 18

Front Nine Back Nine Tiger Woods is going to win. Talk all the Yang (as in Y.E.) you want, but Woods still has five wins this year, and, besides that rare missed cut at the British Open, he hasn't finished worse than eighth in any stroke-play event. If Phil Mickelson, sixth in the FedExCup standings, decided not to play The Presidents Cup, though, Captain Fred Couples would get another pick. But that seems unlikely. Not exactly going out on a limb there with No. 1, but it is truly amazing how wide the pendulum swings in terms of opinion when Woods doesn't win every event. Speaking of The Presidents Cup, if Brian Gay has any hopes of being a Captains Pick, he better play extremely well in the Playoffs -- well as in win, finish in the top three, etc. This is the best system yet of the three years of the Playoffs. The changes allow any of the top five players (or anyone in the field) a shot at winning the FedExCup at the end. Lucas Glover, No. 5 in the FedExCup standings, has already been told by Couples he's practically on the team. That said, he'd have to bomb in the Playoffs and someone else emerge in order not to be picked. Despite the improvements to the FedExCup points system, you can bet there will be changes to it, however large or small, at some point this year or next. There always are. Jeev Milkha Singh, who tied for 17thin Greensboro, is doing everything he can to impress International Captain Greg Norman. He's a Special Temporary Member of the PGA TOUR, but isn't eligible for the Playoffs. So he's taking a week off, then making his final push at the Omega European Masters the week prior to the Sept. 8 date when the picks are announced. I really like Anthony Kim's chances of going deep and finishing well. Remember, he tied for third at the BMW Championship and THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola last year. Camilo Villegas had a pretty uneventful run up to the Playoffs last year, never finishing higher than 35th in three of four events leading into it. He's been nearly identical this year. The best longshot? Michael Allen. As mentioned earlier, he's won a Senior PGA and been through the meat grinder in his career. This guy could do some damage. Once Villegas did get in the Playoffs, he did some damage in the form of two wins -- BMW Championship and THE TOUR Championship -- as well as a tie for third -- Deutsche Bank Championship. The biggest name that will get eliminated the earliest? Sergio Garcia. He needs to play ? and putt -- well to go deep into the Playoffs, and after Sunday, I just can't see that happening. The Barclays is going to draw a lot of opinions this week, and most of them, I think, will be heavy in one direction or heavy in the other. Liberty National isn't middle ground golf. Speaking of big names, Paul Casey withdrew from The Barclays on Monday. How odd that rib injuries have been a problem for so many guys this season. One player who got in some practice rounds there last year said Liberty National is the anti-cookie cutter course with all sorts of chocolate drops, humps and bumps and tricks. And no, now that Casey has pulled out, the 126th player on the points list does not get to play at The Barclays. It would goof things up since the events aren't mandatory. Does anyone really think Tiger Woods isnt going to win the Playoffs? Anyone? Anyone? If so, please send your reasoning to brianwacker@pgatourhq.com. I would love to hear it.

The Forward Spin

Who has the biggest advantage at Liberty National? Well, we don't know. There's never been a PGA TOUR event at the $129 million jewel of Jersey City. A pretty good bet is Tiger Woods. There will be some shot shaping there, and Woods likes that and does it well. Whatever happens, those hovering around the 100 mark in the FedExCup standings will be on full alert as only the top 100 advance to Boston the following week.

PGATOUR.COM'S Brian Wacker wrote Stock Up, Stock Down, the Quick 18 and Forward Spin.