FedExCup Spotlight: Ian Poulter

Poulter has five top-10 finishes in his previous nine starts at this event but has bowed out in the first round each of the two years since his 2010 triumph.

The Englishman and hero of the victorious European side at the 2012 Ryder Cup will be making just his second start of the PGA TOUR season this week. He tied for ninth at the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions which he qualified for after winning another World Golf Championship -- the HSBC Champions -- late last year. That result leaves him tied for 99th in the latest FedExCup standings.

The two WGC victories remain Poulter’s only two in PGA TOUR events. He also boasts a trio of runner-up finishes in his career, most recently at the 2009 PLAYERS Championship.

Since the inception of the FedExCup format, Poulter has not qualified for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. That’s not to say he hasn’t been close. Poulter has qualified for the first three legs of the FedExCup Playoffs in four of the last six years, finishing as high as 31st in the final FedExCup standings.

Poulter, who has played a minimum of 15 events on TOUR each year since 2005, is just getting his season started. With 550 FedExCup points on the line -- this is the season's first event to offer more than 500 points -- anyone who wins would make a big splash in the season-long race. A good showing this week would put Poulter in prime position to make his first trip to East Lake once the calendar turns to September.