Backspin: Kuchar has even more reason to smile after win

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This season has been more wide open than any in recent history -- whether it's been the four different major winners, a lack of a favorite going into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup or a clear candidate for Player of the Year.

Some of that might have just been resolved thanks to Matt Kuchar.

Sure, it's not sexy. It's not Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. But Kuchar has more top-10s than anyone else within the FedExCup top 10, including Sunday's victory at The Barclays, which moves him to the top of the points list and the top of the money list. He also leads the TOUR in scoring average and smiles.

Nice guy Kuchar has always been happy, now we're just seeing the results of a career resurrected the last few years.

"I would have shut down the year had I not won and been very pleased with my year," said Kuchar, who now has 20 top-10s in the last three years to go with three career wins. "To win, it's an incredible year. There's nothing like the feeling of winning a PGA TOUR golf tournament. You feel like you are the best player in the world for this week."

Champion's Replay

Want to hear what Matt Kuchar had to say about winning The Barclays? Click here The Barclays: Final Leaderboard More coverage: • Highlights • Kuchar interview • Complete tourney coverage

Or the season, because at the very least Kuchar has been arguably more consistent than anyone. And only twice since June has Kuchar finished outside the top 10. During that stretch, he's a combined 54 under in eight starts.

Last year, Kuchar came within one round of reaching THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola until a Sunday 75 at the BMW Championship derailed him. Now, the former Georgia Tech star is headed home in a good way, having locked up a spot all the way through Atlanta.

"It's been No. 1 on my goal list of what I'd like to accomplish for my year," Kuchar said. "I've wanted to get to East Lake. It's a home game. It's a course I know. It would be great to have friends and family to be there."

In winning Sunday he also produced one of the shots of the year, a 7-iron from the left rough that he bounced up to the 18th green and slingshot around to within a few feet of the hole to beat Martin Laird.

"The shot came out beautifully," Kuchar said. "[I] saw the crowd just all of a sudden, the momentum build and they went just like a wave of people standing up and cheering. I knew it was getting good. That was an exciting way to kind of cap off this tournament."

Not to mention the year, which could still get even better a few weeks from now with a win in Atlanta.

Stock up

Steve Stricker: Is there anyone more poised to make a run at the FedExCup title than Stricker? He has three top-10s in his last five starts, including a win, and this is Stricker's time of year with now eight career top-10 in the Playoffs. He also said he has a ton of confidence going to TPC Boston, where he will defend next week. FedExCup rank: 2 (2 last week) Adam Scott: I don't know if Scott will get Comeback Player of the Year, but it's been that kind of year with a win and now two top-10s in his last three starts in some pretty big events. Putting is still sometimes a problem, but Scott is playing well right now. FedExCup rank: 19 (32 last week) Rory Sabbatini: In three of Sabbatini's last five starts, he's finished in the top 12. That included a tie for fifth at The Barclays, where he had the 59 watch going for a little while with a torrid start that ended in a final-round 64. His only downside is two missed cuts sandwiched in between. FedExCup rank: 33 (60 last week)

Stock down

Phil Mickelson: This is what Mickelson does -- he misses the cut when you expect him to contend and he contends when you expect him to miss the cut. In his defense, he's had a lot of off-course stuff between the arthritis and sponsor obligations, but he doesn't have a top-10 since the U.S. Open. FedExCup rank: 10 (4 last week) Anthony Kim: You want to know how rusty Kim's game is since returning from injury? He made just one birdie on his way to missing the cut (his third in a row) at The Barclays. And one of those rounds came under lift, clean and place conditions. FedExCup rank: 27 (14 last week) Dustin Johnson: There is some truth to the fact that Johnson doesn't look back on his near-misses because he keeps putting himself in good position to win, but at some point you have to win. Sunday, he was in the final group again but never contended after the first of four bogeys came on the third hole. FedExCup rank: 6 (11 last week)

THE BACK NINE: 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. Another week, another step closer to winning. That's where Tiger Woods is at right now. He said Sunday that if it weren't for two bad putting rounds in the middle of The Barclays, he would have been in position to win. He's right. I also thought Kuchar made an interesting point. Asked about his own swing changes that he underwent a few years ago and how long it took for them to take hold, Kuchar said "about 10 golf balls." Now, Tiger's changes may be a little more significant, but the point is a valid one. These guys are good enough that unless it's something completely different from top to bottom, they can adjust pretty quickly. After that, it's just a matter of confidence.

2. That said, Woods played in just his 10th tournament of the year last week, and he's also had plenty going on away from the golf course. If he putted the ball in the second and third round the way he did in the first and fourth, he might have won this week. "I found something in my stroke," Woods said Sunday. Don't be surprised if he finds a win in the next week or two. He is that close, and, as he pointed out, he's playing on two courses he's won on before.

3. Ian Poulter made a point Sunday, saying that Europe had five players for three spots on the Ryder Cup team and that no matter what, "someone was going to get gutted." When Colin Montgomerie selected Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari as his Captain's Picks, it turned out that that someone, more than anyone else it seems, was Paul Casey with Justin Rose a close second. "I probably need time to take it in," Casey said. "It's done and dusted. I tried my hardest and I didn't make it." Being injured last year clearly hurt Casey's chances of automatically qualifying, but his omission, especially given an extremely good match-play reputation, left a lot of folks scratching their heads. Casey, who was paired with Harrington in the final round and figured out he didn't make it when all went quiet after Harrington's wife gave her husband the thumbs-up on the sixth hole, handled a clearly awkward situation with class. But it wasn't easy. "I was trying to keep my composure and put in a solid performance," Casey said. "Simple fact is I'm not on the team. And I think Europe, they've got an unbelievable team. I wish them the best for the match, simple as that. I'm not going to stand here and sort of plead a case for why I should be on the team. It was difficult. Can I leave now?"

4. Poulter's argument holds even less water when you look at Harrington's record in the Ryder Cup. Yes, he's a three-time major winner, but he's also 0-7-2 in the last two Ryder Cups. Casey is ranked higher in the Official World Golf Ranking (ninth, compared to 18th for Harrington), has reached two finals of the World Golf Championship-Accenture Match Play Championships and played in three Ryder Cups.

5. I'm sure Jim Furyk will never let his cell phone die again, but missing his pro-am tee time at The Barclays turned out to be more embarrassing than harmful since he fell from third to just eighth in the FedExCup standings.

6. Where does Furyk's gaffe rank in terms of the all-time oversleeping incidents in sports? Well, it wasn't as bad as Ken Griffey Jr. falling asleep in the clubhouse -- during a game -- earlier this season and missing a chance to pinch-hit late in the game. My favorite, though, is the Seinfeld episode with Jean-Paul nearly missing the New York City Marathon when Kramer's hot tub blows the circuits, causing a blackout that disabled Jerry's alarm clock.

7. Stat of the Week That May Only Interest Me: Poulter reached 1 million Twitter followers before Tiger Woods reached $1 million in earnings this season. Poulter hit the seven-figure mark on Saturday, while Woods finally topped the million-dollar mark with his tie for 12th.

8. Stat of the Week II That May Only Interest Me: Dustin Johnson played the par-5s Sunday at Ridgewood in 2 over. That's not going to get done on Sundays.

9. Spookiest Fact of the Week That May Only Interest Me: Kevin Streelman's grandparents are buried in a cemetery that's just off the seventh hole at Ridgewood. Streelman's family is from the area and clearly they were watching over him -- Streelman tied for third, matching his best finish of the season.

Last week's Kodak Challenge hole

HOLE: The par-5, 594-yard 17th at Ridgewood Country Club LAST WEEK: Rickie Fowler grabbed control of the lead again with an eagle on the Kodak Challenge hole. Click here to tour the Kodak Challenge holes | Current Kodak Challenge standings

The Forward Spin

Steve Stricker is the defending champion at TPC Boston and right on cue, he's headed there with some pretty positive momentum after a tie for third at The Barclays. So is Tiger Woods, who has also won there before. Phil Mickelson? Not so much. The extra day off with the Friday start should help Mickelson more than anyone, though. He's been run a little ragged with a lot of off-course duties. Don't be surprised if Adam Scott plays well too. He won there in 2003 and was a runner-up in 2004. If he putts well -- which is always a big if -- he'll be there on Sunday.