Some real shockers at halfway mark of Playoffs

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Defending champion Vijay Singh was eliminated from the Playoffs in the second round.

It's halftime.

Two of the PGA TOUR Playoff events are in the books, two remain. And what have we learned in the third edition of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup?

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Expect the unexpected.

The first FedExCup event was won by a guy (Heath Slocum) who just snuck in The Barclays field, who hadn't lifted a trophy in more than four years. The second playoff event was won by a player who, while many are now calling him Mr. September because of his postseason success, had difficulty earlier this year closing the deal at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the Northern Trust Open.

Now Steve Stricker may have another award to go with his bookend Comeback Player of the Years -- Player of the Year. His birdie Monday at the 72nd hole clinched Stricker the Deutsche Bank Championship for his third title of the year. That positions the Wisconsin native to become the first player other than Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh or Padraig Harrington -- all certain Hall of Famers -- to win the PGA TOUR's Player of the Year Award since 1998.

One thing we do know as players make their halftime adjustments: There will be a new FedExCup champion. And just think, a year ago the Playoffs were virtually decided when Vijay Singh won the first two tournaments.

Here's so me other things that stand out from these Playoffs:

Mr. Clutch: The 42-year-old Stricker earned a unique footnote in PGA TOUR history when he captured consecutive Comeback Player of the Year awards in 2006 and 2007. But that legacy is being erased by his clutch play in the FedExCup Playoffs the last three years.

Not only is Stricker one of only nine players to have competed in all 10 playoff events so far, he's the only one who has never finished out of the top 25 (with two wins and six top-10 finishes). But his victory Monday, the seventh of his PGA TOUR career, marked the first time Stricker won when Woods was in the field. Maybe that's one advantage of constantly playing with the world's No. 1 -- Stricker and Woods will again be paired in the first two rounds of this week's BMW Championship.

No defense, but ... You knew at some point age and injuries would finally take their toll on Singh.

You just didn't think it would happen a year after he won the FedExCup.

The 46-year-old admitted he came back too fast from a knee injury this year, posting just three top-10 finishes -- matching his lowest total since 1994 -- and was eliminated from the Playoffs after missing the cut at The Barclays and finishing 54th at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

A year ago, Singh already had clinched the FedExCup after victories in the first two postseason events. Now the Ironman has no choice but to sit on the sidelines. At least Singh knows what to work on during his break: He ranks 183rd on the PGA TOUR this year with 29.88 putts per round.

Major winners, minor impact: Each of the four winners of the majors this year could claim Player of The Year honors if they win one of the remaining two events and claim the FedExCup.

But none of this quartet is in the top 10 in postseason points. U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover ranks highest at No. 14, followed by PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang (15th), Masters champion Angel Cabrera (22nd) and British Open winner Stewart Cink (25th).

Biggest Surprises

Dufner

1. Jason Dufner. While Slocum has made the biggest move, he already had two PGA TOUR wins. Dufner has come the farthest.

A year ago, Dufner was back at q-school after finishing 184th on the money list. But after his tie for second at the Deutsche Bank Championship, he soared from 57th in the standings to ninth. If he can somehow squeeze into the top five entering THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola -- anyone in the top five will claim the $10 million first prize with a win at East Lake -- what a story that would be. Dufner had earned $2.5 million in his PGA TOUR career until his runner-up finish Monday.

2. Camilo Villegas, Anthony Kim and Sergio Garcia. This talented triumvirate soared in last year's Playoffs (Villegas won the last two events, Kim had a pair of T3s and Garcia lost a pair of playoffs), but a return this year has failed to re-ignite the trio.

Kim is 34th, Villegas 52nd and Garcia 55th. There's a chance none of them will be at East Lake.

3. Phil Mickelson. Nobody knew what to expect of Lefty as he returned to the PGA TOUR following treatment for wife Amy's breast cancer. Although he's finished in the top 25 in just one of his six events since returning (T2 at the U.S. Open), Mickelson showed a spark in shooting a final-round 66 on Monday at TPC Boston.

That was Mickelson's best score in six months, surpassed only by a 65 he shot in the first round while winning the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. The 66 enabled Mickelson to remain 12th in the FedExCup standings, leaving him in a position to make more noise.

4. Scott Verplank. At 45, Verplank already has matched a career high in top-10s (10s). His T9 at The Barclays and T2 at Deutsche Bank jumped him from 61st to fifth in the FedExCup standings.

If Verplank can retain that spot for another week, he'll be able to control his destiny at East Lake for that eight-figure first prize.

Go figure.

Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.