Blake Adams tied for second last
year at TPC Four Seasons and his game is trending
upward.
Jason Day picked up his first
PGA TOUR victory in last year’s HP Byron Nelson Championship,
which bumped him from No. 126 to No. 23 in the FedExCup standings.
He went on to post two Playoffs top 10s and finish eighth in the
Final FedExCup standings. Finishing two shots behind Day at TPC
Four Seasons were three players. Each of them made the PGA TOUR
Playoffs for the FedExCup last season, but could have done more
with that victory in Texas. They all return this week with a chance
to pick up the victory that eluded them a year ago.
Adams
Blake Adams
2010 FedExCup finish: 95th
Current rank: 95th (could get to 22nd with a win) A
sophomore on TOUR, Adams’ best career finish came a year ago
at TPC Four Seasons. His best finish this season was a tie for 16th
last week, so his game is trending in the right direction as he
enters this week’s event.
Gay
Brian Gay
2010 FedExCup finish: 54th
Current rank: 36th (could get to 11th with a win) Gay has
three career victories, but none since 2009. His T2 last year in
the HP Byron Nelson Championship was one of two top-10 finishes on
a season that ended just over 400 points shy of THE TOUR
Championship presented by Coca-Cola. He already has two top 10s in
2011 (Bob Hope Classic and Mayakoba Golf Classic).
Overton
Jeff Overton
2010 FedExCup finish: 29th
Current rank: 74th (could get to 19th with a win) Like
Adams, Overton is still seeking his first career PGA TOUR victory.
But that doesn’t mean he’s not been close. His six
top-10 finishes last year included five in the top three. Overton
was the victim of Stuart Appleby’s 59 on Sunday at The
Greenbrier Classic where his 67 left the 54-hole leader one shot
short. A win could have made a major change in any of these three
players’ seasons. This year, however provides a chance for
redemption. It could also be a big week for a number of last
year’s key players. Of the top 22 finishers a year ago, 18
are scheduled to tee it up this week in Texas.
NO. 1 WATCH: Five players (Nick Watney, K.J. Choi,
Rory Sabbatini, Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar) could move atop the
FedExCup standings with a victory this week. Bubba Watson has held
the top spot for the last four weeks.
BIGGEST MOVERS: After finishing as a runner-up to
David Toms at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Charlie Wi
made a 66-spot leap to 38th in the standings. First-round co-leader
Chez Reavie, hung around for a T5 finish and moved from 145th to
105th in the standings. Kevin Stadler (up 34 from 143rd to 109th)
and Robert Karlsson (up 32 from 125th to 93rd) are also on the
rise.
NOTABLE DROPS: A number of notable names with big
victories in their careers are currently outside the top 125 in the
FedExCup standings ... and falling. Among them are David Duval
(128th), Retief Goosen (136th), Camilo Villegas (141st) and Louis
Oosthuizen (149th). Those players fell eight, ten, seven and five
spots respectively in the standings this week.
MORE ON LAST WEEK’S WINNER: In just two
weeks, David Toms has turned his season from solid to spectacular.
Before his runner-up finish at THE PLAYERS and his victory at
Colonial, Toms had made seven cuts in nine starts with a pair of
top-10s and a 56th place standing in the race for the FedExCup.
With the P2 and the victory, however, Toms has surged to fourth in
the standings – tying the highest ranking of his career and
easily topping his best ever ranking in the second half of a
season.
