Playoffs Guidebook: Top performers (2007-2011)

While winning an event isn't everything in the Playoffs, victories can go a long way. Each of the five previous FedExCup champions has won at least one event in his push for golf's richest prize. The five champions have combeined to win 35 percent of Playoffs events (seven total) in their championship seasons.

While winning is the best way to make a quick move, there's something to be said for consistently performing. No one has done that better than Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan -- the only two players to make all 20 starts in the five-year history of the Playoffs. Here's haow they've finished in the final standings each of the last five years:

Speaking of consistency, here's a glance at the players with the most consistent track records of Playoffs success. Just two players -- Phil Mickelson and Camilo Villegas -- have posted at least one top-10 finish in each season of the FedExCup Playoffs.

While Stricker and Mahan are the only two players to start every event in the history of the Playoffs, a third competitor has also made a trip to East Lake to compete for each FedExCup.

The three players mentioned above have had successful campaigns year after year in the FedExCup. Anyone can get hot in September and become a factor, though. Here are two who did just that: