FedExCup Final 30 preview: No. 30 John Senden

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Sep. 22, 2009

The top 30 players in FedExCup points have advanced to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola and now have a chance to win the FedExCup. Here's a detailed look at each player and how he made it to East Lake:
FINAL 30 PREVIEWS: Previous | Archive | MORE FEDEXCUP: Points standings | How the reset works

Season in review

John Senden: 30th in FedExCup points (210 points after reset)
To say Senden made THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola field by the skin of his teeth would be an understatement. The last of 30 players to qualify, Senden finished just 0.492 points ahead of No. 31 Ian Poulter. Not that Senden doesn't deserve a tee time at the Playoff finale. The Australian has posted five top-10 finishes this season, matching a career best (2007), including a tie for second at the Buick Open. He finished tied for 11th at the Deutsche Bank Championship, which moved him from 39th to 29th in FedExCup points. And a tie for 20th at the BMW Championship, despite a double bogey on the second-to-last hole, was just enough to keep him in the top 30. For a more positive reason why he is in THE TOUR Championship for the first time in his career, Senden can look back to the rare double eagle he carded at the Deutsche Bank Championship on the par-5 second hole in the second round when he holed a 4-iron from 250 yards.

Quick analysis

When he closed with a 77 at Cog Hill, the Aussie thought he had dropped out of the all-important top 30. Minutes later, as he talked with reporters, his caddy rushed up to tell him he was back in thanks to Brandt Snedeker's triple bogey on the 72nd hole. Now it's up to Senden, who's looking for his second TOUR win, to make the most of his first trip to THE TOUR Championship. -- Helen Ross

How Senden got here

Breaking down the FedExCup points won and rank after each start in 2009

Rank	Change in rank	Tournament	Finish	Points earned	Points for year	Points behind
30	-1	BMW Championship	T20	250	1,532	5,664
29	+10	Deutsche Bank Championship	T11	315	1,282	4,323
39	-8	The Barclays	T64	30	967	3,414
31	-2	Wyndham Championship	T82	0.730	937	2,494
29	-5	PGA Championship	CUT	0	937	2,494
24	+19	Buick Open	T2	208.333	937	1,614
43	-2	RBC Canadian Open	CUT	0	728	1,331
41	-5	British Open Championship	CUT	0.000	728	1,331
36	0	John Deere Classic	T66	1.593	728	1,323
36	-5	AT&T National	T44	25.500	727	1,324
31	+8	St. Jude Classic presented by FedEx	T4	115.000	701	908
39	-1	Memorial Tournament	T53	16.000	586	1,023
38	+2	Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial	T18	51.500	570	1,028
40	+8	HP Byron Nelson Championship	7	90	519	1,006
48	-1	THE PLAYERS Championship	T37	30.5	429	1,002
47	+1	Quail Hollow Championship	T32	36.5	398	989
48	0	Zurich Classic of New Orleans	T34	33.5	362	988
48	-6	Verizon Heritage	CUT	0	328	1,022
42	+1	Shell Houston Open	T31	35	328	962
43	+28	Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard	T4	108.75	293	911
71	-17	Transitions Championship	CUT	0	185	1,019
54	-5	The Honda Classic	T27	42	185	991
49	-17	Northern Trust Open	CUT	0	143	573
32	-3	Buick Invitational	T50	20	143	504
29	+11	FBR Open	T17	52.5	123	524
40	0	The 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer	T9	70	70	519