Georgia Tech alum Kuchar eyes first start at THE TOUR Championship

ATLANTA -- After collecting a PGA TOUR-best nine top 10s during the Regular Season, Matt Kuchar added a 10th in dramatic fashion at the first stage of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, winning The Barclays in a sudden-death playoff with Martin Laird. The victory was Kuchar's third on the PGA TOUR and vaulted the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings, assuring him an invitation to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, September 22-26, at historic East Lake Golf Club.

Kuchar entered the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup at No. 9 in the standings, second to only Jeff Overton (No. 6) among players without a victory in 2010. With the win in New Jersey at The Barclays, Kuchar earned 2,500 FedExCup points and is alone atop the standings, 1,365 points ahead of Steve Stricker.

"I'm excited," said Kuchar about returning to Atlanta to play THE TOUR Championship for the first time. "It's been No. 1 on my goal list of what I'd like to accomplish for my year on the PGA TOUR for a number of years. I've wanted to get to East Lake. It's a home game, and it's a course I know. To lock it up is a great feeling."

Despite falling to Kuchar on the first playoff hole, Laird, who entered the final round with a three-stroke lead, improved from No. 95 to No. 3 in the FedExCup points list. Like Kuchar, Laird is also poised to earn his first invitation to THE TOUR Championship.

Sandwiched between Kuchar and Laird is Steve Stricker, who remained at No. 2 in the FedExCup standings with a T3 at The Barclays and is the defending champion this week at the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston. The top 10 at The Barclays was the eighth of Stricker's career in the Playoffs, moving one ahead of Camilo Villegas for the most on TOUR.

With a final-round 4-under-par 67, Tiger Woods finished T12 at The Barclays and improved from No. 112 in the FedExCup standings to No. 65. Woods will need to continue to play well this week at the Deutsche Bank Championship to maintain his position inside the top 70 and have the opportunity to defend his title at the BMW Championship.

Though much will depend on what other players do over the next two weeks, Woods will likely need either two 8th-or-better finishes over the next two events or a single 3rd-place finish to earn his way into THE TOUR Championship and defend his FedExCup title. He finished 2nd at East Lake in 2009.

The top-30 players in FedExCup points after the BMW Championship qualify for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the finale of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

FedExCup points are reset prior to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, ensuring a real shootout as all 30 players in the field will have a mathematical chance of winning the FedExCup with a victory at the event. THE TOUR Championship is annually contested at Atlanta's renowned East Lake Golf Club, the formative home of the legendary Bobby Jones. In 2009, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola made contributions totaling more than $1 million to charities, which primarily benefit the East Lake Foundation and The First Tee. Since 1998, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola has donated more than $10 million to charity, both locally and nationwide.

Tickets can be purchased at PGATOUR.COM/tourchampionship or at any metro Atlanta Kroger grocery stores. Advance ticket prices (through Labor Day) offer significant savings:

Daily Grounds Tickets are available for $50 per ticket, per day per person (compared to $70 at the gate).

Weekly Grounds Tickets are $125 per person (compared to $160 at the gate).

Weekly Grounds Tickets with access to two MasterCard® Championship Club hospitality venues are $210 per person (compared to $240 at the gate).

Saturday and Sunday daily tickets reflect a 17 percent savings from 2009 if purchased prior to Labor Day.