Key questions heading into the 2011 Playoffs

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Answers to a few key questions as we begin the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup this week at The Barclays:

HOW DOES THE POINTS AND THE RESET WORK?
The regular season points carry over to the start of the Playoffs. After the first three Playoffs events, the FedExCup points are then reset. The actual order of the standings does not change -- No. 1 is still No. 1 -- but just the points. The points are weighted so that the players at the top of the standings have a better shot to win the FedExCup than those at the bottom. But mathematically, each player at East Lake will have a chance win the FedExCup. For more on how the FedExCup works, click here.

FIELD STUDY: A quick look at each of the 125 players in the field. Click GUIDEBOOK: One-stop source for ecords, notes, fun facts and more. Click POINTS: Latest update on where each player stands in the FedExCup. Click RISING UP: Three players at Wyndham burst the Top 125 bubble. Click COMPLETE COVERAGE: Check out the FedExCup home page. Click

WHY IS THE TOP 30 SO IMPORTANT?
The main reason, of course, is that only the top 30 players in points after the BMW Championship will have a shot to win the FedExCup at the Playoff finale, the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. But the importance of the top 30 does not start there. Having a position inside the top 30 at the start of the Playoffs is a huge advantage. Last year, 22 of the 30 players in points after the regular season advanced to East Lake; in 2009, 23 of the top 30 in the regular season advanced to East Lake. That's why the regular season still matters.

WHY DOES THE TOP FIVE MATTER?
If you have one of the top five spots in FedExCup points going into the TOUR Championship, then you can decide your own fate. It doesn't matter what anybody else does -- if you're in the top five entering East Lake and you win the TOUR Championship, then you win the FedExCup. Guaranteed. Everybody else outside the top five is subject to varying degrees of fate, depending on how close you are to the top. But consider this -- last year Jim Furyk entered the TOUR Championship ranked 11th in points and won the tournament and the FedExCup.

IS THERE A CUT LINE?
Only in the first two events. The field size of The Barclays is 125 players, with a cut to 70 and ties. The field size of the Deutsche Bank is 100 players, with a cut to 70 and ties. The field size at the BMW Championship is 70 players with no cut, and then there's the final 30-man no-cut field at the TOUR Championship.

DO LONGSHOTS HAVE ANY SHOT?
Of course they do. Two years ago, Heath Slocum ranked 124th in points starting the Playoffs. He won the opening tournament, The Barclays, and eventually finished eighth overall. Last year, Kevin Streelman was 102nd in points to start the Playoffs. He finished tied for third at The Barclays and wound up qualifying for East Lake, where he finished tied for ninth. Meanwhile, Charley Hoffman started the Playoffs 77th in points but after winning the Deutsche Bank Championship, he moved into the top five and could've won the FedExCup had he won the TOUR Championship. The Barclays generally offers the biggest movement of the season because it's the first event in which the points are quintupled. Dramatic moves are inevitable.

WHAT ABOUT THE OFF-WEEK?
In 2007, the first year of the Playoffs, there was no off-week. The next year, there was a three-week layoff between the BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship, with the Ryder Cup played in between. For the last two years, there has been a one-week layoff between the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship. But because the Deutsche Bank Championship traditionally has a Monday Labor Day finish, that makes for a very short week for those 70 players who must travel to Chicago for the BMW Championship. This year, the off-week takes place after the Deutsche Bank, giving those Playoff survivors a chance to rest before making what each hopes is a final two-week push for the FedExCup. "I think it gives us a little break to rest and come back strong," said 2008 FedExCup champ Vijay Singh. "I think some guys be playing five, six weeks, you know, including the PGA. I think it's a good thing what they're doing."

WHY IS STEVE STRICKER CALLED MR. SEPTEMBER?
Although Stricker has never won the FedExCup points, he's made his presence felt in the Playoffs. He's the only player to have started in all 64 rounds in the first four years, and one of just two players (Hunter Mahan the other) to make all 16 starts. He's won two of those starts. Also, he has more top-10 finishes in Playoffs events (10) than any other player and has the most rounds in the 60s (39). He's finished in the top 10 in FedExCup points three times. Oh, and he enters this year ranked No. 2 in points behind Nick Watney.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT PLAINFIELD?
For the first time, the PGA TOUR will play an event at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J., the venue for The Barclays this week. Plainfield was founded in 1890 and is one of the oldest clubs in the United States. Donald Ross built the course in 1921, and the club recently spent more than a decade restoring, renovating and extending the course, using Ross' original blueprints. Plainfield will also host the 2015 Barclays, after the tournament goes to Bethpage Black in 2012, Liberty National in 2013 and Ridgewood in 2014. The other three Playoffs events this year will be at familiar venues -- TPC Boston, Cog Hill and East Lake.

WILL ANYBODY OVERSLEEP THIS YEAR?
Doubtful. A year ago, Jim Furyk's alarm clock failed to work during pro-am day at The Barclays and he missed his tee time. The rule at the time prevented him from competing in the tournament. The rule has since been changed so that the penalty for missing a pro-am time is not so severe. If a player makes that kind of innocent mistake, he could be subjected to a disciplinary process, where he might receive a warning, a fine, or something more severe. The wording, as PGA TOUR commissioner Tim Finchem said, is intentionally vague "because we want the flexibility to deal with situations that may differ." Ultimately, of course, it didn't hurt Furyk, who went on to win the FedExCup.

SO WHAT'S THE BEST PATH TO WINNING?
Consider how each of the first four FedExCup winners fared during their individual Playoffs run:

Yes, the points system was different in each of the first three years. Still, as you can see, each winner started inside the top 10 in FedExCup points -- meaning their play during the regular season was important. Three of the winners won at least one of the first three Playoffs event. And two of the winners won the TOUR Championship. In essence, there is no shortcut to winning the FedExCup. As TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said: "You have to play early, you have to play the Playoffs, and you have to play late."

OVERALL, THEN, WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT?
If the regular season has told us anything, it's to expect the unexpected. There have been 12 first-time winners on TOUR, including Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley, who start the Playoffs ranked inside the top five in points. Established stars have hoisted the FedExCup in the first four years, but it's hard to ignore the youngsters this year. Six rookies have accounted for seven wins, and a total of 13 players in their 20s have accounted for 14 wins this year. It's been wide open this season, and there's no reason to suspect anything will be different over the next four events.