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FEDEXCUP
FedExCup update: TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, Round 3
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September 26, 2015
By Helen Ross , PGATOUR.COM
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Rory McIlroy will need some help in order to claim the FedExCup. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
ATLANTA -- Five players came to East Lake secure in the knowledge that they would win the FedExCup with a victory at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.
All are in the top 10 with one round remaining but three of the five have a much better shot at the $10 million bonus than the other two.
Jordan Spieth, who came in ranked second, leads the playoff finale at 8 under, one stroke ahead of Henrik Stenson, the 2013 FedExCup champ who arrived in Atlanta fourth in the standings.
The Swede led after each of the first two days but Spieth is the only player with three sub-par rounds and a birdie at the 18th hole on Saturday to separate the two.
"I'm very motivated," said Spieth, who counts the Masters and the U.S. Open among his four wins in 2015. "It's something I want badly, just, and it's going to feel a lot like a major championship when I step on the first tee."
"I would have liked to have gone a few better, but we're still up there and yeah, it's all going to be decided tomorrow," Stenson added.
Rickie Fowler, who came in third after winning the Deutsche Bank Championship, trials by four after posting the day's low round of 67. He's tied with Paul Casey, who needs a lot of dominoes to fall after starting the No. 22 in the FedExCup.
Jason Day, who leads the FedExCup after wins at The Barclays and the BMW Championship, hasn't been able to get untracked at East Lake, though. The recently crowned world No. 1 is even par for 54 holes and eight shots in arrears.
"After tomorrow, there's no more days," Day said. "So there's a lot more pressure on tomorrow's round."
And Bubba Watson, a member of the top five for the second straight year, is 1 under for the tournament and seven strokes off the pace. Watson, who came in ranked fifth, has never finished higher than a tie for fifth in five previous starts at East Lake.
"So just depending upon pressure and everything, if I went out and shot an 8-under, 9-under, that puts some pressure on the other guys when they see a guy that's finished or playing well like that," Watson said.The following are the latest scenarios for players to win the FedExCup:
No. 2 Jordan Spieth (Currently leading the tournament)
• If he wins the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, he wins the FedExCup
• If Jason Day, Henrik Stenson, Rickie Fowler or Bubba Watson win the TOUR Championship, he cannot win
• If Paul Casey wins the TOUR Championship, Jason Day finishes T13 or worse and Henrik Stenson finishes T3 or worse, Spieth could finish as low as 5th and win the FedExCup
• If Rory McIlroy wins the TOUR Championship, Jason Day must finish T6 or worse, Rickie Fowler finishes 4th or worse, Henrick Stenson finishes 3rd or worse and Bubba Watson Finishes T2 or worse, Spieth could finish as low as 4th and win the FedExCup. (Under this scenario, if Fowler finishes solo 3rd and Spieth finishes solo 4th it would result in a tie for the FedExCup and a sudden death playoff)
No. 4 Henrik Stenson (Currently 2nd in the tournament)
• If he wins the TOUR Championship, he wins the FedExCup
• If Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler or Bubba Watson win the TOUR Championship, Stenson can’t win the FedExCup
• If Rory McIlroy wins the TOUR Championship, Stenson can win the FedExCup if he finishes in a two-way for 2nd or better
• If Paul Casey wins the TOUR Championship, Stenson can win the FedExCup by finishing as low as a solo 3rd
No. 3 Rickie Fowler (Currently T3 in the tournament)
• If he wins the TOUR Championship, he wins the FedExCup
• If Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson or Bubba Watson win the TOUR Championship, he cannot win
• If Rory McIlroy wins the TOUR Championship, Jordan Spieth finishes in a four-way tie for 3rd and Jason Day finishes T6 or worse, Fowler can win the FedExCup by finishing 3rd
No. 22 Paul Casey (Currently T3 in the tournament)
• Must win the TOUR Championship AND
• Jason Day (No. 1) must finish in a three-way tie for 13th or worse (currently T10)
• Jordan Spieth (No. 2) must finish T5 or worse (currently leading)
• Rickie Fowler (No. 3) must finish in a three-way tie for 3rd or worse (currently T3)
• Henrik Stenson (No. 4) must finish T3 or worse (currently 2nd)
• Bubba Watson (No. 5) must finish in a three-way tie for 2nd or worse (currently T8)
• Zach Johnson (No. 6) must finish T2 or worse (currently T5)
No. 4 Zach Johnson (Currently T5 in the tournament)
• Must win the TOUR Championship, AND
• Jason Day (No. 1) must finish T2 or worse (currently T10)
• If Paul Casey wins the TOUR Championship and Jason Day finishes T13 or worse, Jordan Spieth finishes T5 or worse, Rickie Fowler finishes 4th or worse, Henrik Stenson finishes T3 or worse, Bubba Watson finishes in a three-way tie for 2nd or worse, Zach Johnson can win the FedExCup with a 2nd
No. 11 Rory McIlroy (Currently T5 in the tournament)
• Must win the TOUR Championship, AND
• Jason Day (No. 1) must finish T6 or worse (currently T10)
• Jordan Spieth (No. 2) must finish T4 or worse (currently leading)
• Rickie Fowler (No. 3) must finish T3 or worse (currently T3)
• Henrik Stenson (No. 4) must finish in a three-way tie for 2nd or worse (2nd)
• Bubba Watson (No. 5) must finish in a T2 or worse (currently T8)
No. 17 J. B. Holmes (Currently 7th)
• Must win the TOUR Championship AND
• Jason Day (No. 1) must finish in a three-way tie for 10th or worse (currently T10)
• Jordan Spieth (No. 2) must finish in a three-way tie for 4th or worse (currently leading)
• Rickie Fowler (No. 3) must finish in a three-way tie for 3rd or worse (currently T3)
• Henrik Stenson (No. 4) must finish 3rd or worse (currently 2nd)
• Bubba Watson (No. 5) must finish T2 or worse (currently T8)
• Zach Johnson (No. 6) must finish T2 or worse (currently T5)
No. 1 Jason Day (Currently T10)
• Win the TOUR Championship
• If Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson or Bubba Watson win the TOUR Championship, he cannot win the FedExCup
• If Rory McIlroy wins the TOUR Championship, and Jordan Spieth finishes with a four-way tie for 3rd and Rickie Fowler finishes T3 or worse and Henrik Stenson finishes in a three-way tie for 2nd or worse and Bubba Watson finishes T2 or worse, Day can still win the FedExCup by finishing in a four-way tie for 5th
• If Paul Casey wins the TOUR Championship and Jordan Spieth finishes T5 or worse, Rickie Fowler finishes in a three-way tie for 3rd or worse, Henrik Stenson finishes T3 or worse, Bubba Watson finishes in a three-way tie for 2nd or worse and Zach Johnson finishes T2 or worse, Day can win the FedExCup by finishing T13 or better
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