Playoffs creating unique opportunities to shine
By John Maginnes, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
A year ago Marc Leishman was battling in relative obscurity on the Nationwide Tour, trying to move inside the top 25 on the money list to earn his PGA TOUR card. Heading into October he was still well outside that number with only three top-10s in 21 starts and nine missed cuts. But that was a year ago and things are decidedly different now for the unassuming 25-year-old Aussie.
Something happened at the WNB Golf Classic last fall. Nobody stood taller in west Texas than the 6-foot-2 Leishman who waltzed to victory by 11 shots and finally moved into the 'THE 25.' After a seventh-place finish at the Nationwide Tour Championship, Leishman punched his ticket to the PGA TOUR.
The star that began to rise in Texas last fall emerged there again this spring. Leishman's first career top-10 on the PGA TOUR came in the form of a fifth at the Valero Texas Open followed by a tie for eighth the next week in Dallas at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
After more solid play through the summer, Leishman stumbled into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedexCup. He took advantage of the last two, too -- making eagle on the 72nd hole at the Deutsche Bank Championship to slip into the field at Cog Hill, then tying for second at the BMW Championship to earn a spot at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
From the uncertainty of the Nationwide Tour to the precariousness of a rookie season on the PGA TOUR, Leishman now finds himself on very solid ground. By advancing to East Lake, he's exempt for the first three majors of 2010 -- at the very least -- and now that he's ranked 47th on the money list he'll have no worries about his TOUR card, either.
Leishman's dramatic climb into the top 30 in the standings will likely earn him Rookie of the Year honors. But he wasn't the only player who has used the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup to take his career to new heights.
Take Jason Dufner. He had never really challenged the top 125 on the money list on the PGA TOUR prior to this season. After finishing 184th a year ago while playing out of the limited access 126-150 category Dufner made another triumphant walk through q-school and earned another chance on TOUR. He's made the most of it, too -- posting six top-10s, including a tie for second at the Deutsche Bank Championship, to move to 10th in the FedExCup.
Dufner's runner-up finish at TPC Boston guaranteed a tee time in Atlanta for THE TOUR Championship and all the benefits that come along with it. They say it only takes one week to change your life on the PGA TOUR, but not until the Playoffs has it been true that this could happen without a win.
In that regard these Playoffs emulate those in other sports. If you elevate your game at the right time -- Playoffs time -- your life can change in an instant. Kevin Na, like Dufner and Leishman, will also make his debut at THE TOUR Championship. The youngest player on the PGA TOUR at the age of 19 back in 2004, Na is now a veteran at the age of 25 and taking advantage of the system. Na has only played in two majors -- both PGAs -- in his career but now gets to add the other three to his resume. Maybe all four.
In two weeks, someone is going to hoist the FedExCup and earn all the accolades -- and a $10 million bonus -- that come with this accomplishment. Because of the way the points are reset for THE TOUR Championship, it is unlikely that any of these three men will hoist the Cup but they can certainly raise a glass to a heck of a season. They can toast the fact that they have each taken enormous strides toward the riches and notoriety on the PGA TOUR that are reserved for the very best.
John Maginnes is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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