By John Schwarb, PGATOUR.COM

On the eve of the FedExCup Playoffs finale, 10 percent of the 30-man field re-signed multi-year equipment contracts with Ping.

Louis Oosthuizen, Lee Westwood and Bubba Watson – Nos. 6, 8 and 11 in the standings coming into the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola – all have been longtime Ping staffers and will stay that way, the company announced Wednesday.

Westwood, 39, has played Ping clubs for 27 years, while Watson has played the company’s clubs since he was a teenager. Oosthuizen made arguably the shot of the year by holing out an S56 4-iron from 255 yards out on the second hole at Augusta National on Sunday -- the fourth double eagle in Masters history.

Ever wonder what is demanded within a full-line equipment contract? In a release, Ping said that the three stars will wear the company’s name on hats and bags and play a minimum of 11 Ping clubs, including a company driver and putter.

DIVINE NINE: Do you have any clubs in your bag that are 9 years old, or older? Golf.com discovered that Phil Mickelson used a 9-year-old Titleist 980F 5-wood at the BMW Championship, replacing his Callaway Razr Fit 5-wood. When Mickelson first used that club, he was still a Titleist staff player. He moved to Callaway in 2004 and has mostly played that company’s clubs ever since, but with Phil being Phil, you never know what will resurface in the bag.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

Top 30 previews | FedExCup scenarios | Playoffs guidebook

For those in the top 5 of the FedExCup standings heading into this week’s TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, the formula is simple: Win, and you win the FedExCup, too. Everyone else, meanwhile, needs help.

With that in mind, here’s a look at five players who I think could come from outside the top 5 and win the FedExCup:

Louis Oosthuizen (No. 6): There are a couple of reasons to like Oosthuizen’s chances. First, he doesn’t need a lot of help to win the FedExCup by virtue of being No. 6 in the standings. With an extra week off he should also be fully recovered from a minor pectoral injury he played through at the BMW Championship. Oosthuizen plays big in big spots (see his 2010 British Open victory, this year’s Masters, the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational) and has been in a groove in the Playoffs with a couple of top-5 finishes, including a runner-up in Boston.

Dustin Johnson (No. 7): Three Playoffs tournaments, three finishes in the top 6. You could argue that no one outside of Rory McIlroy has been as consistent as Johnson in the postseason. If there’s a concern, it’s that Johnson has never fared particularly well at East Lake, failing to finish in the top 20 in three trips. I think this year will be different, though. Johnson’s length is of course a huge asset, but his iron play has been very good in his last three starts with Johnson ranking in the top 10 in greens hit.

Jason Dufner (No. 10): The Duf has cooled a bit since a midseason run that included two wins and two other top-5 finishes in five starts, but a return to Atlanta should spark the 35-year-old. Dufner has a history of playing well in the South -- one of his two victories this year came in New Orleans, and he lost a playoff at the 2011 PGA Championship at nearby Atlanta Athletic Club. He doesn’t have a great track record at East Lake, having tied for 13th last year and 19th in 2009 in his only two appearances, but he loves Bermudagrass, is one of the best drivers of the ball on TOUR and is one of its best ball-strikers. He’s also having the best putting year of his career.

Bubba Watson (No. 11): Another player who doesn’t have a great record in this event, Watson makes up for that by the fact that he’s having a career year. He won another pretty significant tournament in the state of Georgia in April and has five other top 10s, including a pair of runner-up finishes, to go with his Green Jacket. Watson has been good -- not great -- in the Playoffs so far with three finishes in the top 12. As far as Watson hits it -- he leads the TOUR in driving distance -- he’s also third in greens in regulation. If he can straighten out his putter, Watson should be a factor at East Lake.

Carl Pettersson (No. 17): The length at East Lake, which he is playing for the first time, shouldn’t affect Pettersson, who ranks in the top 40 on TOUR in driving distance. Like Dufner, he, too, is a guy who tends to play well this side of the Mason-Dixon Line (see: his win at Hilton Head and tie for third at the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island). It’s also been a big year for those who wield a long putter. It’s certainly a longshot at 17th in the standings but as we saw with Bill Haas, who was 25th going into East Lake, it’s certainly a possibility.

The top 30 in FedExCup points are headed to East Lake for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. Here’s a look at Louis Oosthuizen, one of the 30 players who will contend for the FedExCup title. SCENARIOS TO WIN FEDEXCUP: For Oosthuizen to win the FedExCup, he MUST win the TOUR Championship and have the following scenarios fall into place: > Rory McIlroy (No. 1) finishes T2 or worse > Can finish 2nd and still have a mathematical chance of winning Click here for scenarios of every player SEASON IN REVIEW: The 2010 British Open champ nearly won his second major but ended up losing the Masters to a brilliant shot by Bubba Watson on the second hole of sudden death. He was third the week before the Masters and finished fourth at the Bridgestone Invitational. The South African came up big in his first FedExCup Playoffs, too -- tying for fifth at The Barclays, finishing second at the Deutsche Bank Championship and tying for 16th at the BMW Championship. -- Helen Ross PATH TO TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP: Here’s a look at Oosthuizen's results in the first three events of the 2012 FedExCup Playoffs: Click here for Playoffs Tracker of every player.

Tournament
Tournament finish	T-5	2nd	T-16
FEC ranking after event	21st	5th	6th

PREVIOUS FEDEXCUP FINISHES: Here is how Oosthuizen has finished in previous Playoffs appearances:

	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007
FedExCup finish	---	---	---	---	---

EAST LAKE HISTORY: This is Oosthuizen's first appearance at East Lake. ALBERS’ QUICK TAKE: Fred Albers, on-course correspondent for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, provides a quick look at Oosthuizen: When you watch him play, you wonder why he doesn't win more often. His swing is so good, he chips and putts well. I thought he made a mistake on the back nine Sunday at Deutsche Bank when he did not put the tournament away, allowing McIlroy an opening on Monday. WATCH: Oosthuizen's Round 2 eagle at Deutsche Bank PLAYER PAGE: Click here for more on Louis Oosthuizen Now it’s your turn. How do you think Oosthuizen will fare at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola?

By Larry Dorman, PGATOUR.COM

Every golf tournament needs a little comic relief to break the tension, and Monday’s at the Deutsche Bank Championship came at the ninth tee, set back in the woods, when Louis Oosthuizen came face to face with a “brother” he never knew he had -- or at least that’s what the guy claimed.

“Louie! Louie! I am your brother, your brother!” screamed a man who pressed against the gallery rope, leaning over and pointing to himself. Right down to the wide, gap-toothed smile -- and excepting the broad New England accent -- the guy could have passed for Oosthuizen, who smiled and gave the fellow a thumbs-up as he passed by.

“My caddie said he looked just like me,” Oosthuizen said. “I don’t know.”

Rory McIlroy, who was laughing right along with Oosthuizen, said the resemblance was more than just passing.

“He did have the gap in the teeth, which I thought was so funny,” McIlroy said. “He was following us for the whole way around.

“I thought there was a few similarities there, yeah.”

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

NORTON, Mass. -- The day before, Louis Oosthuizen set a tournament record by shooting a 7-under 29 on the front nine at TPC Boston. So when he made the turn in Monday's final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship with a 1-over 37, well ...

"Felt like I shot a 47," Oosthuizen said with a smile.

The poor start on Monday cost Oosthuizen the three-shot lead he had built after 54 holes, and he couldn't rally on the back nine to overtake playing partner Rory McIlroy, who won by a stroke at 20 under.

Oosthuizen had to settle for solo second at 19 under and a spot inside the top five of the FedExCup standings going into Thursday's BMW Championship. If Oosthuizen, currently No. 5, can maintain his position after Crooked Stick, he will control his own destiny in regards to winning the FedExCup at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

"It's a great spot for the next two tournaments," Oosthuizen said. "I'm more happy that I'm playing really well and I've got the game back the way I want it to be. It'll be great going into the next weekend in the finals.  Should be good fun."

Oosthuizen was 1 under on his round through the first four holes and leading by a shot over McIlroy. But then he felt a twinge in his shoulder -- he was told it a problem with his pec minor muscle -- on his drive on the fifth hole and his whole round changed.

He double bogeyed the hole, with McIlroy tying him for the lead. Then McIlroy birdied the par-4 sixth and Oosthuizen different. Having lost the lead, Oosthuizen would never catch the world No. 1 again.

Oosthuizen's not concerned that the injury will linger.

"It was strange because it was just on that shot, and then I started thinking about it and felt it a little bit and on the back nine again nothing," Oosthuizen said. "I'll have a good look at it in the next two days, but I'm not worried about it."

Oosthuizen had a chance to tie McIlroy on the final two holes. But he matched McIlroy's bogey at the 17th when he misjudged the wind on his approach shot, and then couldn't make a birdie putt from 12 feet, 8 inches at the 18th to force a playoff.

"The 17th hole cost me," he said.

All in all, though, it was a good week for the South African, who hopes to build on the momentum at Crooked Stick.

"There's two more big events left," he said, "and I'm very happy with the way I'm hitting the ball going into those tournaments."

NORTON, Mass. – Tournament leader Louis Oosthuizen has teed off to begin his final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship. He leads playing partner Rory McIlroy by three strokes.

This is just the third time in Oosthuizen’s PGA TOUR career that he has been the 54-leader.

The first time came at the 2010 British Open when he shot 71 and romped to victory at St. Andrews. The second time came earlier this year at the Shell Houston Open, when he carded a final-round 75 to drop to third place.

In terms of final-round scoring average, Oosthuizen ranks tied for 53rd on TOUR in that category with a stroke average of 70.60.

Click here to follow the pairing of Oosthuizen and McIlroy in the final round