ATLANTA — Saturday’s first round of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, the final event in the FedExCup Playoffs that will determine this year’s FedExCup champion, is in the books. Here’s a look at the key developments and notes concerning the FedExCup:

KEY LINKS: Latest points projections | Shots back | Official standings | Scenarios to win FedExCup

NO. 1 PROJECTION:  Brandt Snedeker, who owns a share of the lead with Justin Rose at 8 under, is currently projected to win the FedExCup. That’s because he came to East Lake ranked fifth in the standings and is guaranteed the $10 million bonus with a TOUR Championship victory.

Rory McIlroy, who started the week ranked first, is now projected No. 2 while Rose, who came in 24th, is third and Tiger Woods is fourth.

HOW TOP FIVE FARED: Any of the top five players in points after the reset can win the FedExCup by winning the TOUR Championship. Here’s a look at their third rounds.

Player	Score	Thru 54	Pos	Quick review
Rory McIlroy	68	5 under	T4	McIlroy has steadily improved in hitting fairways each day, with 8 on Saturday, and he found 12 greens, as well. But he needs some putts to fall – McIlroy ranks 11th in strokes-gained putting. Strokes back:  He needs to make up four strokes to win the Cup.
Tiger Woods	67	4 under	T7	Saturday was bounce-back day for Woods. Interestingly, though, his fairways hit declined for the second straight day, but 13 greens in regulation tied for his best of the week. Strokes back: He needs to make up five shots to win the Cup.
Nick Watney	70	9 over	29th	Watney birdied his first hole but made three straight bogeys starting at the third. Birdies at Nos. 7 and 18, though, gave Watney his best score of a difficult week. Strokes back: He needs to make up 18 shots to win the Cup.
Phil Mickelson	72	2 over	T20	Mickelson is tied for 29th in fairways hit and 16th in greens in regulation. Saturday’s 27 putts were his low of the week but that double-bogey start put him behind the eight-ball. Strokes back: He needs to make up 11 strokes to win the Cup.
Brandt Snedeker	64	8 under	T1	Snedeker made six birdies and it could have been more as he missed chances of 20 feet or less on three of his first four holes. He’s tied for first in fairways hit and greens in regulation. Strokes back: He is actually three strokes to the good in his battle to win the Cup.

BIGGEST MOVERS: Justin Rose continues to make his presence known. He’s tie for first for the second time in three rounds at East Lake this week and has moved up 21 spots to third in the FedExCup. Ryan Moore, who played his way into the top 30 at the BMW Championship, has moved up 19 spots into ninth.

ODDS & ENDS: If the TOUR Championship had ended after the third round, there would have been some interesting scenarios. Brandt Snedeker and Justin Rose would have played off for the TOUR Championship title – and if Rose had won, Snedeker and Rory McIlroy would have been involved in a sudden death playoff for the FedExCup title. …

Brandt Snedeker is the first player ranked in the all-important top five to take the lead into the final round of the TOUR Championship since the points system was reworked in 2009. …

Ryan Moore made the second-biggest move in the projected standings on Saturday when he shot a 65. He started the Playoffs ranked 64th and finished in the top 25 of each one, including ties for 10th in the last two. He must win the TOUR Championship – and get considerable help – to win the FedExCup. Not that he’s thinking about the dual victory. “I honestly have no chance to win the FedExCup,” Moore said. “That is my reality. But I do have a chance to win a golf tournament. That is my focus. I haven't won a golf tournament this year. I only have one more chance, one more tournament I'm playing after this, so this is one of my last chances to close out the year the right way.”

By Fred Albers, PGA TOUR.COM Correspondent ATLANTA -- Jim Furyk is one of the better drivers on the PGA TOUR but there are three wayward tee shots that will be remembered in 2012. His drives on the 16 ^th at the U.S. Open, on the 18 ^th at the WGC-Bridgestone and on the 17 ^th at East Lake. All three swings were quick and all three hooked into trouble. The drive at the Olympic Club led to a bogey. The drive at Firestone got a great kick off of a tree into the fairway but Furyk still made double. On Saturday his drive on the 17 ^th cost him a triple bogey. A trio of bad drives but Furyk's mishit at East Lake came on Saturday, not Sunday, giving Furyk the chance to rally on in the final round. Big hitters: What a fun pairing for Rory McIlroy and Robert Garrigus. Two of the longer hitters on TOUR hammered their drives all day long. McIlroy drove it 367 yards at the ninth hole leaving him just 224 to the green on the 591-yard hole. For the day, Garrigus averaged 318 yards and McIlroy 309. Tough hole: The 219-yard second hole has given up two birdies in the last 36 holes. There was not a single birdie on the hole during the second round and 24 players took their best shots at the hole before it finally yielded a birdie on Saturday. Robert Garrigus made a 21-foot birdie and his fellow competitor, Rory McIlroy, followed with a five footer of his own. There were no birdies at the second hole from Thursday afternoon until Saturday afternoon. Tough start: Players walked off the first green shaking their heads. The green was much faster than it had played in the first two rounds. Sergio Garcia made double bogey with a three putt, so did Phil Mickelson. The hole averaged 4.367 and was the second toughest on the course. There were just two birdies during the round and four double bogeys. Lee Westwood watched as John Huh’s putt rolled seven feet past the cup, turned to his caddie and said, “Wow.” Windy: For the first time this week, the wind was in excess of 10 miles per hour and it made a difference. It was not only harder to pull clubs but it made the course play much faster. The greens and fairways got noticeably faster as play progressed on Saturday. Hole locations: TOUR officials took note of the windy conditions and modified the course setup accordingly. On Friday, there were 7 holes that were cut 10 or fewer paces from the front of the green, on Saturday there were just four holes less than ten paces off the front. The back hole locations gave players the option to let approach shots release on the firm putting surfaces. Statman: If you are going strictly by the numbers, then Brandt Snedeker is going to win on Sunday and win the FedExCup. He leads the tournament in fairways hit with 30 of 42, greens in regulation (41 of 54) and sand saves (3-for-3). Snedeker is third in total putts with rounds of 27-29-29. He is second only to Matt Kuchar in strokes gained - putting. Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here .

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM ATLANTA -- Brandt Snedeker sees Sunday as the next step in his own evolutionary process, the next step in becoming what he calls a "world-class player." That's because three-time PGA TOUR champ has a chance to do something he's never done -- convert a third-round lead into victory when he plays with Justin Rose in the final group at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. "I need to show that I can do that," Snedeker said firmly. And if he does, Snedeker will not only have won for the second time in 2012, he'll have the added bonus of winning the FedExCup. He put himself in position Saturday with a sizzling 64 that he called one of his best of the year and moved him into a share of the lead at 8 under. Snedeker entered the Playoffs finale at East Lake ranked fifth in the standings, knowing that he was guaranteed the $10 million with a victory on Sunday. He is the first player in the all-important top five who control their own destiny to hold the 54-hole lead since the points system was reworked in 2009. Snedeker can finish as low as a two-way tie for second and still have mathematical shot at winning the FedExCup. But with Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, who came in ranked Nos. 1-2, hot on his heels at 5 and 4 under, respectively, Snedeker doesn't want to leave anything to chance. Staying patient will be key for Snedeker, who hit 17 greens in regulation on Saturday. He made six  birdies – and it could have been more for the Tennessean, who is tied for first in fairways and greens hit, and second in strokes gained putting. "I think the biggest thing tomorrow is going to be how patient you can stay because this golf course eats guys up that don't stay patient," Snedeker said. "With all that extra stuff that goes with the FedExCup Championship and the TOUR Championship, there are so many reasons to get antsy." As he talks, the words tumble rapid-fire out of Snedeker's mouth. He candidly admits to being "jumpy" and says that he must concentrate on playing within himself during the final round. "It's just not putting more pressure on the shot than there already is," Snedeker explained. "There is no make-or-break shot tomorrow. Every shot tomorrow is the exact same as it was today, and the exact same as it was on Thursday, to really embrace that. "I did a great job today of staying patient. I missed four putts on the first four holes from inside 15 feet for birdie. You don't have those kind of opportunities around here very often. I did a great job of staying patient, and when you do that, you tend to have some success."

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

ATLANTA --  Rory McIlroy thinks 10 under is a good target score.

If he can get there on Sunday, the young Northern Irishman figures he has a great chance to win the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola -- as well as the FedExCup. He controls his own destiny with a win, but so does Brandt Snedeker, who is currently tied for the lead at 8 under, three strokes ahead of McIlroy.

And don't forget Tiger Woods, who starts the final round at 4 under. He came into the week ranked second to McIlroy's first-place standing in the FedExCup and has his eye on the $10 million prize for the third time in the competition's six-year history.

"They're not up at the top of the standings for nothing," McIlroy said. "They're playing well. They've played well the last few weeks. So, yeah, I knew coming in here if I won, I'd win everything, and that's still my attitude going into tomorrow."

McIlroy is hardly the underdog. He won the last two Playoffs events and is the top seed, and until Snedeker birdied the 17th hole on Saturday, he was still projected No. 1.

And there are plenty of permutations that would put the silver Tiffany trophy in McIlroy's hands and the $10 million in his bank account without a win. So he's looking forward to the challenge on Sunday. 

"It's going to be one of the most exciting Sundays of the year," McIlroy said. "There are a few guys still in it with a chance to win the FedExCup to win this tournament. So looking forward to it. Great to be in the mix. Only three back, so I'm excited about the prospect of a very exciting finish tomorrow." 

McIlroy has flirted with the 64 or 65 he figures he'll need to shoot in the final round at East Lake. He just hasn't found enough fairways, only 50 percent over the first three rounds, to let him go aggressively at the greens. And many of those birdie putts have stubbornly refused to fall.

McIlroy has stayed patient, though -- a state of mind that has marked an impressive run that includes wins in three of his last four starts, the first of which was an eight-stroke victory at the PGA Championship.

"You go play the first hole, and you see how you do there,” McIlroy said. “Then you play the second, and you see how you do there. It's all you're really doing. That's the way I feel like I have been playing for the last few weeks."

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

ATLANTA -- For more than a decade, Tiger Woods topped Forbes's annual list of the the richest athletes in the world.

The reason he holds that distinction is simple. Woods doesn't think about the money. He just focuses on piling up the victories, 74 and counting right now, -- and Sunday at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola will be no exception.

Woods will start the final round of the FedExCup Playoffs finale four shots off the lead. Win the tournament and he becomes the first three-time winner of the $10 million bonus.

But Woods is quick to tell you, "That's not why we play. 

"I'm playing for the W, and tomorrow I get a great shot at it," he said. "You know, all the money and awards and all of that stuff, that comes along with winning championships. That's the way I've always looked at it, and right now I'm four back. If I win the golf tournament, everything's kind of taken care of."

Woods put himself in position for his fourth victory of season with round of 67 on this breezy Saturday that left him at 4 under. The turnaround was important after Woods squandered a share of the first-round lead with a 73 on Friday that marked his first score above par at East Lake in 14 rounds.

Not that he was worried, though.

"I've done it before," Woods said when asked about the bounce-back round. "I've been out here a long time, and just claw your way back into it, and usually I'll take a round in the 60s. I figured the guys aren't going to go out and run off and hide on this golf course. It's just playing too difficult."

Woods' 67 on Saturday was much tidier than the second round that saw him make five bogeys and one double bogey, along with the three birdies. He only used 29 putts, as opposed to 32 on Friday, and hit 72 percent of his fairways.

And now he has a chance to accomplish the dual victory for the third time in his career. Just don't ask him which W would mean more.

"I think they go hand in hand," Woods said.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

ATLANTA -- Brandt Snedeker came up with what he called "probably one of the best rounds I've played this year" when it counted most.

And after that 64 on Saturday, Snedeker finds himself tied for the lead at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola -- and in the catbird seat as far as the FedExCup and its $10 million  bonus is concerned.

Snedeker and Justin Rose will start Sunday's final round at East Lake at 8 under and leading Ryan Moore by two strokes. Rose held steady with his second-straight 68 while Moore had a 65 in the third round.

Snedeker, who finished second and sixth in the first two events of the FedExCup Playoffs, entered this week's finale ranked fifth. As such, he is guaranteed the eye-opening bonus with a victory on Sunday -- regardless of what anyone else in the field should do.

Now, the Vanderbilt product just has finish off the job.

"My first goal for this week is achieved, and that is to have a chance going into Sunday," Snedeker said. "I think something like 90 something percent of the PGA TOUR winners come from the last two groups, and that's where I want to be in those last two groups.

“So I know get I get a chance to do that tomorrow, and it should be a lot of fun."

Snedeker, though, isn’t the only player who controls his own fate. Rory McIlroy, who entered the week ranked No. 1, trails by three with Bubba Watson and Jim Furyk, who triple bogeyed the 17th hole to fall out of a tie for the lead.

Tiger Woods, who came in ranked second in the FedExCup, is among four players are 4 under. McIlroy has dropped to second in the projections while Woods clocks in at No. 4 entering the final round.

Like Snedeker, either Woods or McIlroy can also win the FedExCup with a win at the TOUR Championship.

“It's going to be one of the most exciting Sundays of the year,” McIlroy said. “There are a few guys still in it with a chance to win the FedExCup to win this tournament. So looking forward to it. Great to be in the mix. Only three back, so I'm excited about the prospect of a very exciting finish tomorrow.”

Rose, on the other hand, knows he needs a "little help from my friends," he said, smiling, in order to win the FedExCup. He came in 24th and knew, for example, he likely needed McIlroy to finish lower than 17th -- and that doesn't take into account the other players in the top five.

"Every credit to him," Rose said. "He's having a very solid week, as I expected him to.

“And Brandt, you've got to give him credit.I know he got off to a rough start on Thursday, and to climb back and tie for the lead being in that sort of vital top 5 is a wonderful performance. So he's going to be the one out of the two of us thinking about it overnight."

Rose plans to just focus on the TOUR Championship.

"The whole year we've been grinding for the FedExCup, and it's still possible," he said. "It's not an easy golf course. Things can happen out there. But for me, it's about one tournament. I wish I would be in the situation that Brandt's in. I would trade him, but obviously, that's the position I'm in."

ATLANTA -- Brandt Snedeker joined Jim Furyk and Justin Rose at the top of the leaderboard when he posted a bogey-free 64 in the third round of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. 

Rose and Furyk have four holes remaining but when he walked off the 18th green, Snedeker was projected No. 1 in the FedExCup. Snedeker started the week ranked No. 5 -- one of the players who is assured of winning the $10 million bonus with a win in the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Snedeker, who won his third PGA TOUR event earlier this year, was near-flawless on Saturday. He hit 10 of 14 fairways, all but one green in regulation and made six birdies on 29 putts. He ranks second in strokes gained putting this week.