Who isn't headed to East Lake? A few big surprises
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor
Look at the top 30 names in FedExCup points who have advanced to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, and you'll see a few surprises. Heath Slocum's move from 124th to fitth after winning The Barclays is the biggest leap, but the performances by non-winners Jason Dufner and Marc Leishman have been nearly as impressive the past three weeks.
But look at the names below the top 30 -- in other words, the players who won't be at East Lake next week -- and you'll see just as many surprises. Maybe more.
LAST YEAR'S FAB FOUR: In the 2008 PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, four guys dominated -- Vijay Singh, who won the first two events en route to winning the FedExCup; Camilo Villegas, who broke through the win column by claiming the last two events; Sergio Garcia, who lost playoffs in both The Barclays and THE TOUR Championship; and Anthony Kim, who tied for third in the last two events.
They finished first, second, third and fourth, respectively, in the final FedExCup points standings. Amazingly, none of the four are in the field next week.
Part of the reason can be blamed for failing to produce in the regular season.
After winning twice in the regular season in 2008, Kim was shut out this year, posting just three top-10 finishes. Garcia had just two top-10s entering this year's Playoffs, as opposed to 2008 when he claimed the biggest prize of his career, THE PLAYERS Championship. Singh entered last year with momentum after winning the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, but he posted just three top-10s this year and was never able to get anything going after early-season injury problems. And Villegas failed to build on the momentum of his late run a year ago, posting just four top 10s in 2009.
Kim still had the best shot at reaching East Lake this year, as he started the Playoffs inside the top 30 in points (he was 29th). But he was never in contention in any of the first three events.
Villegas started in 35th spot but was forced to withdraw at The Barclays with a wrist problem. His tie for eighth at the BMW Championship didn't provide enough points.
Garcia had to scramble just to make the Playoffs. He was 115th in points with one week left and felt he needed to play the Wyndham Championship just to secure his spot. He started the Playoffs in 89th but a tie for 31st at Liberty National and a 26th at TPC Boston meant he needed more at Cog Hill than a tie for sixth.
Singh, of course, didn't even make it to the third leg of the Playoffs. Starting the Playoffs 59th in points, he missed the cut at The Barclays and tied for 54th at the Deutsche Bank Championship; remember, he was the defending champion in both.
Perhaps this will sum it up for you: In 2008, the foursome of Singh, Villegas, Garcia and Kim combined for eight wins and 29 top-10 finishes; this year, they've combined for zero wins and 13 top-10s.
TOURNAMENT WINNERS: Nine winners of PGA TOUR events did not accumulate enough FedExCup points to advance to East Lake. Of those nine, only one did not even make the Playoffs -- Michael Bradley, who won the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular. Another one, Paul Casey, did not participate in any of the Playoffs events due to injury.
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THE PLAYERS WINNER: Are you wondering why Henrik Stenson, winner of THE PLAYERS Championship, isn't on the list above? After all, he's a winner this year who didn't make it to East Lake.
Stenson, however, is not a member of the PGA TOUR. As a result, he did not get any FedExCup points for his win or any other results he had this year on TOUR and thus wasn't eligible to participate in the Playoffs. Don't worry, though -- he still got the prize money.
FIVE TOP-10ERS: No players outside the top 30 in FedExCup points have more top-10 finishes this year than Ian Poulter, Brandt Snedeker and Justin Leonard; each has five top-10s in 2009.
Poulter and Snedeker obviously will be kicking themselves for their results on the 72nd hole at the BMW Championship. Poulter found the water and finished with a bogey. Since he finished just 0.46 points behind John Senden for the 30th and final spot, Poulter would have overtaken Senden with a par. Instead, he settled for 31st.
Of course, Snedeker's 72nd hole was even more agonizing. Playing in the final group of the day with tournament winner Tiger Woods, Snedeker simply needed a bogey to make it to East Lake. But he misfired on a three-foot putt, eventually finishing with a heartbreaking triple bogey.
Of the three, Snedeker was the hottest of late. His five top-10 finishes have all come in his last 10 starts. Poulter, the runner-up to Stenson at THE PLAYERS, tied for ninth at The Barclays but missed the cut the next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Leonard's last top-10 finish was a tie for eighth at the British Open.
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