Storylines and opportunities abound in the Fall Series

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Dustin Johnson, now a superstar on TOUR, avoided a trip to q-school by winning a Fall Series event in 2008.

In its broadest sense, the Fall Series is an opportunity. But that opportunity can be defined in several different ways. While most are chasing a coveted spot inside the top 125 on the money list for fully-exempt status in 2012, the final four events on this year's docket hold prospects for other achievements. Some are potentially career-defining; others are more mundane.

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The first four editions of the Fall Series (circa 2007) have declared 22 winners and suffered one cancellation (2009 Viking Classic). From its first champ, Steve Flesch (2007 Turning Stone Resort Championship), who is one of just two to record a second victory post-Playoffs but inside the calendar year -- Bill Haas also turned the trick at the 2010 Viking -- to its most recent, Robert Garrigus, who is one of six to claim his first PGA TOUR victory (2010 Children's Miracle Network Classic) during the final phase, there is no shortage of storylines.

• Four major champions have hoisted hardware in the Fall Series, including Davis Love III. His last victory at the 2008 stop at Disney World was his 20th overall. It not only qualified him for Life Membership on TOUR, but that magic number is an unofficial hurdle for major winners for entry into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

• Justin Leonard, Mike Weir and Zach Johnson have also posted victories in the Fall Series, and while they exude cachet as major champions, they used this time of year as a springboard into the following season. To wit, after nearly 16 months without a top 10, Leonard showed signs of a rebound in the summer of 2007 before ultimately emerging victorious at the Valero Texas Open that fall (the VTO has since moved into the FedExCup portion of the schedule). The good times rolled into 2008 when he finished 10th on the money list. Weir parlayed his win at the 2007 Fry's Electronics Open into a $3-million 2008. And Johnson sputtered for most of 2008 before taking the Valero Texas Open's final edition in the Fall Series. He went on to a two-win 2009 and finished fourth on the money list with over $4.7 million.

• Daniel Chopra broke through for his first victory at the 2007 Ginn sur Mer Classic. He then won two official starts later at Kapalua.

• Dustin Johnson's career has skyrocketed in four short years on the PGA TOUR, but he was facing a return trip to q-school at the end of his rookie season of 2008; that is, until he triumphed at the Turning Stone Resort Championship that fall. He started that week ranked 128th in earnings.

• Turning Stone lived up to its name yet again in 2009 when Matt Kuchar ended a six-year drought as a PGA TOUR winner. He'd go on to finish atop the money list in 2010 despite getting clipped by Jim Furyk for the title as FedExCup champion.

FIVE TO WATCH

George McNeill, the all-time leading money winner in the Fall Series, headlines our group to watch over the next four weeks. Five to watch

• Not to be outdone was Haas, whose title at the last year's Viking was also a harbinger. Not only did he win last week's TOUR Championship and FedExCup, but did so with what was arguably the shot of the year from a watery lie at the par-4 17th hole.

For those in pursuit of trophies and already comfortably secure for 2012, the Fall Series is at worst a bridge. Some, like Jason Day the last two years, choose to store their clubs for three months, but most just want reps if they already know that their schedules in November and December will be empty.

Others, like Paul Casey and Louis Oosthuizen, need the Fall Series for the sole task of meeting the membership minimum of 15 starts. Both ended the regular season with 13 and neither qualified for the Playoffs nor committed to the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (opting instead for the Dunhill Links on the European Tour). Oosthuizen is fully exempt through 2015 by virtue of his win at last year's British Open, but Casey isn't as fortunate. Should the Englishman return for his two starts, he'll be playing for his 2012 PGA TOUR card; he's currently 134th in earnings.

But for the majority extending their seasons, the Fall Series could be the ticket for a refund at q-school. Of those currently inside the top 125 on the money list, 57 are in the field in Las Vegas as of Tuesday afternoon. That means that 75 (or 56.8 percent) are not. Not all 75 are in trouble of losing status -- Cameron Beckman (135th), Derek Lamely (194th) and Rocco Mediate (205th), to name three, are fully exempt next year via wins in 2010 -- but the primary focus will be on that number.

Merely gaining entry into any of the final four tournaments could be a challenge in and of itself. The line of merit for all five Fall Series events in 2010 was drawn somewhere in Priority Ranking No. 27 (Conditional Status, a/k/a guys that finished 126-150 in earnings in 2009) or lower. That's good news for all Nationwide Tour and q-school graduates, but the rest are likely checking their place in line on a daily basis. (Only the first three events hold Monday qualifiers, too, but all offer sponsor exemptions.)

Dreams will likely come true and a star or two might be born, but goals will most certainly be met over the next four weeks.