FedEx Cup Playoffs Are Underway
Steve Stricker is first place in the chase for the FedEx Cup, following a first place finish in week 1 of The Fedex Cup Playoffs with The Barclays.
Since January 2007, The PGA Tour implemented a season-long points standing - it’s not the first time they’ve done that in golf, but then it’s the first time they’ve done it to include a playoffs. Basically, you get points throughout the season and then come playoff time, there are four playoff tournaments, where the points are doubled, and the field will be thinning out as any playoffs should.
The last “regular” season tournament was the Wyndham Championship played in Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina last August 19. That tournament was topped by American Brandt Snedeker. After that, the standings were tallied, and 144 of the top players were given a definitive number of playoffs points based on their standings at the end of the season. Number One Tiger Woods was given 100,000, and the 144th was given 84,700. Seems quite far, but a first place finish in the playoffs could bring 9,000 points instantly.
The first tournament playoffs was held just a week after that at The Barclays in Westchester Country Club in Harrison, New York. With 50,000 FedExCup points to play for, double than the normal 25,000 points. This time only the top 144 of the 253 in the points standings following the regular season were given a pass to play. The Barclays tournament didn’t have FedEx Cup points-leader Tiger Woods, who passed up the chance to play and let the rest of the field catch up. And that’s exactly what happened, especially for South African Rory Sabbatini who climbed from 6th to 3rd following a 3rd place finish at The Barclays. The same applied to South Korean K.J. Choi whose 2nd place finish earned him a jump from 5th place to 2nd place in the points. The biggest improvement in the standings comes from American Steve Stricker, whose first place finish at The Barclays saw him make a huge leap from 12th place to now 1st in the race for the Fed Ex Cup Championships. Tiger Woods sits at 4th place. Vijay Singh relegated the 2nd place spot after not making the cut in The Barclays and now is at 6th place. Phil Mickelson is just one ahead at 5th.
The next tournament of the playoffs will kick off August 31st with The Deutsche Bank Championships at the Tournament Players Club in Boston, Massachusets. In this 2nd week of the FedeEx Cup Playoffs only a field of 120 PGA players getting the chance to play, the last 24 having been dropped from the FedEx Cup chase when they couldn’t deliver the right strokes during The Barclays. Tiger Woods is expected to join the fray to defend his Deutsche Bank Championship title and maybe gain himself some valuable points to get back at pole position in the standings.
Following the Deutsche Bank Championships, 50 players will be dropped and only 70 PGA golfers will advance to the BMW Championships at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont, Illinois on September 6. The week after that only the top 30 after 3 weeks of playoffs will get to play in The Tour Championships prsented by Coca-Cola. Those top 30 will be playing for all the marbles, especially the FedEx Cup Trophy made by Tiffany & Company plus a $10Million first prize purse for the FedEx Cup Champion, the largest single bonus payout in sports. It’s not who wins The Tour Championship, but who can accumulate the most points throughout the FedEx Cup playoffs.
FedEx will also add another $35 Million prize pool at the conclusion of the playoffs to be shared with the rest of the top performers. But first it’s The Deutsch Bank Championship.
For more odds on the Deutsch Bank Championship, click here.
