2010 Playoffs Primer: What you need to know

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Four tournaments, 125 players and one goal -- to become the PGA TOUR's latest FedExCup champion.

Welcome to the fourth year of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. For the next four events, players who earned a spot by virtue of being one of the top 125 players on the regular season's FedExCup points list will have a chance to win the FedExCup and the $10 million bonus that goes with the championship.

To get you ready, PGATOUR.COM has put together a primer, the key things you need to know about the Playoffs.

EVENTS: There are four events in the Playoffs, with a progressive cut after each of the first three events in order to reduce the field to the top 30 in FedExCup points going into the Playoffs finale, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Here's a look at each event and the size of the field.

POINTS: Players carry over their accumulated FedExCup points from the regular season, but points in the Playoffs are worth five times as much as points distributed at the majority of TOUR events. For instance, the winner of each event will receive 2,500 points, not 500. That means players who perform well in the Playoffs can move up quickly in the standings. Last year, Heath Slocum began the Playoffs next-to-last in points, but thanks to his 2,500 points in winning The Barclays, he moved up to third in the standings and eventually finished eighth.

RESET: At the conclusion of the BMW Championship, the top 30 players in points will be eligible for THE TOUR Championship and will have their points adjusted based on their position. As a result, the top five players going into East Lake will control their own fates -- win THE TOUR Championship and you win the FedExCup. Players ranked 6-15 will have a reasonable chance of winning the FedExCup, based on how others perform, and all players are at least guaranteed a mathematical chance of winning.

TOP FIVE: As mentioned above, this is a key position to be in going into THE TOUR Championship. That's why we're emphasizing it again. If you're among the top five players going into East Lake, then you control your own destiny in terms of winning the FedExCup. Last year, Phil Mickelson entered the Playoffs ranked sixth in points. But he was a non-factor in the first three events and dropped to 14th going into THE TOUR Championship. He won at East Lake, but he could not catch Tiger Woods in FedExCup points. Had Mickelson been able to move up just one spot to No. 5 going into East Lake, he -- not Woods -- would have won the FedExCup title. Getting inside the top five is the game inside the game over the next few weeks.

WATCH THAT BUBBLE: With a progressive cut from week to week, the key to staying alive in the Playoffs is simple -- stay inside the points cut line. For those players on the outside looking in each week, the task certainly is not impossible. Here's a look at how many players in the first three years have managed to advance to the next stage of the Playoffs after starting the week outside the points cut line. From the chart below, you can see that there was little volatility in the first year (2007), lots of volatility in the second year (2008) and a more proportionate amount of volatility in the third year (2009). The points system used last year remains the same for this year. For live FedExCup points projections during tournament play, click here

NO ALTERNATES: To earn a spot in one of the Playoffs events, you must be inside the points cut line noted above. Alternates are not added to any of the fields. If an eligible player, for whatever reason, decides not to play, the field size will simply be reduced for that week's event.

CUTS: The Barclays and Deutsche Bank Championship will have cuts after 36 holes, just like most TOUR events. Players who fail to make the cut receive no FedExCup points for that tournament, and thus could jeopardize their position in the overall standings. Last year, Rory Sabbatini entered the Playoffs ranked 17th in points and seemed like a good bet to reach East Lake. But he failed to make the cut at The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship, and not even a T18 at the BMW Championship could save him from elimination. By the way, there are no cuts for the BMW Championship and THE TOUR Championship.

TIES: In the event of a tie in FedExCup points following THE TOUR Championship, the winner will be decided in a sudden-death playoff immediately following the completion of competition.

BONUS: Winning the FedExCup offers a nice little perk -- a $10 million bonus out of a bonus purse of $35 million. Each player who participates in the Playoffs receives a bonus based on his position. First prize in each of the four Playoffs events is worth $1,350,000.

HISTORY: Tiger Woods won the FedExCup title in 2007 and 2009, with Vijay Singh victorious in 2008 (click here for more on the FedExCup champions). Both players will be back in the pack when this year's Playoffs begin. Will we have a different player emerge as FedExCup champion this year? Stay tuned.