Jason Dufner

FedExCup: The Top 10 Players [1]

Submitted by Rob Doster on Wed, 2012-09-19 08:00

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10. Jason Dufner

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Say what you will about the flaws of the FedExCup — its impossible to follow format, the fact that Rory McIlroy could win two of the four playoff tournaments and not win the Cup, the fact that it's football season and nobody cares — but this year, the playoffs have yielded some great golf. After Nick Watney took the prelim (the Barclays), McIlroy restored order and won the Deutsche Bank and BMW with some spectacular shotmaking, taking both tournaments with 20-under par totals. He's the favorite to kiss the Cup and collect the $10 million, but he's not the only player with a shot. In fact, with the Tour Championship points re-set, everybody has a chance, however remote.

Here are the current top 10 in points, starting with No. 10.
All photos by Tim Clark, Athlon Sports

10. Jason Dufner
2012 Season: 2 Wins, 8 Top 10s, 20 cuts made in 21 events
After entering the playoffs second in points, Duf-man chose to skip the Barclays, revealing a fatal flaw in the process. If you want to win the thing, you should have to show up; the Patriots don't get to skip the division round and head straight to the AFC Championship Game. Be that as it may, Dufner has the skills to win at East Lake. He's fourth on Tour in Greens in Regulation and second in the Tour's All Around ranking.

What needs to happen for Dufner to win the Cup (from PGATour.com):
• Wins the TOUR Championship
And ...
• Rory McIlroy (No. 1) finishes in a 3-way tie for 4th or worse
• Tiger Woods (No. 2) finishes in a 6-way tie for 2nd or worse
• Nick Watney (No. 3) finishes in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse
• Phil Mickelson (No. 4) finishes in T-2 or worse
• Brandt Snedeker (No. 5) finishes 2nd* or worse
*Tie for the FedExCup
9. Zach Johnson

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9. Zach Johnson
2012 Season: 2 Wins, 6 Top 10s, 22 cuts made in 23 events
Zach's a world-class roller of the rock who ranks eighth on Tour in Strokes Gained, Putting. He had a Top 10 in his last appearance at East Lake (T9 in 2010), and he feels awfully at home in Georgia. Consider him a dark horse for the Cup.

What needs to happen for Johnson to win the Cup (from PGATour.com):
• Wins the TOUR Championship
And ...
• Rory McIlroy (No. 1) finishes in a 6-way tie for 2nd or worse
• Tiger Woods (No. 2) finishes 3rd or worse
• Nick Watney (No. 3) finishes T-2 or worse
• Phil Mickelson (No. 4) finishes 2nd* or worse
*Tie for the FedExCup
8. Lee Westwood

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8. Lee Westwood
2012 Season: 0 Wins, 7 Top 10s, 13 cuts made in 14 events
Westwood righted the ship after a disappointing summer that included a missed cut at the PGA Championship. He's played better than most in the playoffs, posting a T5, T13 and T2 in the three FedExCup playoff events.

What needs to happen for Westwood to win the Cup (from PGATour.com):
• Wins the TOUR Championship
And ...
• Rory McIlroy (No. 1) finishes 3rd* or worse
• Tiger Woods (No. 2) finishes T-2* or worse
• Nick Watney (No. 3) finishes 2nd* or worse
*Tie for the FedExCup
7. Dustin Johnson

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7. Dustin Johnson
2012 Season: 1 Win, 6 Top 10s, 16 cuts made in 18 events
I sound like a broken record when I talk about DJ. Guy's insanely talented and destined to win multiple majors. He's at the current vanguard of the bombers, ranking 5th on Tour in Driving Distance, 7th in Scoring Average and 9th in the All Around Ranking. Johnson has played better than anyone not named McIlroy in the playoffs, finishing T3 (Barclays), T4 (Deutsche Bank) and T6 (BMW).

What needs to happen for Johnson to win the Cup (from PGATour.com):
• Wins the TOUR Championship
And ...
• Rory McIlroy (No. 1) finishes in a 5-way tie for 2nd or worse
• Tiger Woods (No. 2) finishes T-2 or worse
6. Louis Oosthuizen

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6. Louis Oosthuizen
2012 Season: 0 Wins, 5 Top 10s, 14 cuts made in 18 events
I'll say it: Oostie has the best swing in golf. Perfect balance, perfect contact almost every time. He's 6th in Greens in Regulation and 7th in Total Driving. He's riding a streak of seven consecutive top-25 finishes coming in, but this is his first time to play East Lake.

What needs to happen for Oosthuizen to win the Cup (from PGATour.com):
• Wins the TOUR Championship
And ...
• Rory McIlroy (No. 1) finishes T2 or worse
• Can finish 2nd and still have a mathematical chance of winning
5. Brandt Snedeker

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5. Brandt Snedeker
2012 Season: 1 Win, 6 Top 10s, 19 cuts made in 21 events
Sneds is a hungry player right now, for the primary reason that he's eager to reward Davis Love's faith in him as a Captain's Pick. He's a good enough putter to win at any track — in fact, he's No. 1 on Tour in Strokes Gained, Putting. As a member of the current top 5 in points after the re-set, Snedeker is guaranteed the Cup with a win.

What needs to happen for Snedeker to win the Cup (from PGATour.com):
• If he wins the TOUR Championship he wins the Cup
• Can finish as low as T-2 and still have a mathematical chance of winning
4. Phil Mickelson

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4. Phil Mickelson
2012 Season: 1 Win, 7 Top 10s, 17 cuts made in 21 events
Lefty's had a disappointing season by his lofty standards, but he's still 5th in Strokes Gained, Putting — thanks in part to a switch to the claw grip — and 4th in Birdie Average, proving that if he gets hot, he's got a good chance. He's the field's only two-time winner at East Lake.

What needs to happen for Mickelson to win the Cup (from PGATour.com):
• If he wins the TOUR Championship he wins the Cup
• Has a reasonable chance of winning with a 2nd place finish
• Can finish as low as 3rd and still have a mathematical chance of winning
3. Nick Watney

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3. Nick Watney
2012 Season: 1 Win, 4 Top 10s, 21 cuts made in 24 events
Watney's season had been something of a disappointment until a win at the Barclays launched him into the Cup conversation. And that win appears to have been something of a fluke. Despite his lofty position, Watney seems like the least likely of the top 10 to hoist the Cup.

What needs to happen for Watney to win the Cup (from PGATour.com):
• If he wins the TOUR Championship he wins the Cup
• Has a reasonable chance of winning with a 2nd place finish
• Can finish as low as 4th and still have a mathematical chance of winning
2. Tiger Woods

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2. Tiger Woods
2012 Season: 3 Wins, 8 Top 10s, 16 cuts made in 18 events
Is he back? Just kidding — not going to revive that tired debate. Three wins tell me he's just fine, even if none was a major. Tiger's second in scoring average, and while he's no longer one of the bombers, he ranks 6th in Total Driving. Tiger will treat this as a prelude to next week's main event (the Ryder Cup), but that doesn't mean he doesn't want the $10 million and his third FedExCup.

What needs to happen for Woods to win the Cup (from PGATour.com):
• If he wins the TOUR Championship he wins the Cup
• Has a reasonable chance of winning with a top-3 finish
• Can finish as low as a 5-way tie for 5th and still have a mathematical chance of winning
1. Rory McIlroy

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1. Rory McIlroy
2012 Season: 4 Wins, 9 Top 10s, 12 cuts made in 15 events
Rory's the story of the season, ranking atop the money lists on both sides of the pond and the current No. 1 in the World Golf Ranking. His four PGA Tour wins and nine top 10s lead the pack, and statistically, he's virtually above reproach — 1st in Scoring Average, 1st in Birdie Average, 1st in Par Breakers, 6th in Driving Distance. Throw in an 8-shot PGA Championship win and two playoff wins, and nobody's been better under the spotlight. Like Woods, the Cup final represents a mere prelude to the Ryder Cup for McIlroy, but a win would cap as magnificent a run of golf as we've seen since Woods in his prime, and that's motivation enough for Rory. The only stumbling block: It's his first time at East Lake.

What needs to happen for McIlroy to win the Cup (from PGATour.com):
• If he wins the TOUR Championship he wins the Cup
• Has a reasonable chance of winning with a top-5 finish
• Can finish as low as 29th and still have a mathematical chance of winning
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COMMENTS

Golf's Deutsche Bank Championship: What They're Saying [22]

Players Sound Off On FedExCup, Ryder Cup and More

Round One of the FedExCup playoffs is in the books, and now we turn our attention to the PGA Tour's unique Friday-Monday event, the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, which will wrap up on Labor Day afternoon, weather permitting.

Last week's winner Nick Watney and defending champion Webb Simpson join Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and the usual suspects as players jockey for FedExCup position with an eye on another Cup, the one with the name "Ryder" on it. While the European team is set, U.S. captain Davis Love still has time to make his four at-large selections for the American squad, so Brandt Snedeker, Dustin Johnson and others will be doing their best to impress DL3.

Here's a sample of what players are saying on the eve of the Deutsche Bank:

• Tiger Woods
"It feels good to be back (at TPC Boston). Unfortunately last year I didn't make the Playoffs at all and missed out on four big events. It feels good to at least have played well enough this year to basically secure a spot all the way through to East Lake (site of the Tour Championship). Looking forward to this week. The golf course is in absolute perfect shape. I mean, it's awesome right now. Sure, it'll dry out a little bit come the rest of the week and get a little bit faster and more difficult.

On the perception that he's been inconsistent: "Well, it's just you can't really look at it as real bad going on this year. At the time, most of the year, I was leading the Money List, I was No. 1 in FedExCup points and I won three times, so it's not like it's been that bad. It's just a couple rounds here and there or it's an up‑and‑down here and there or it's making one putt, which is not good. So that's a good thing."

On today's longer hitters: "The game has certainly changed. When I came our here in '96 and '97 I was long, and I averaged 296. I think there's like 30‑some‑odd guys who are averaging over 300. So it's a totally different game now.
"You know, the bigger hitters can hit the ball 320 in the air. I don't really have that. I can carry it 300, but that's a different gear. They're taller, they're bigger, and most of the longer guys are 6'3". When I was coming out here, if you were six foot you were pretty much average height, big height. Look at Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Watson, they're all short compared to the big guys now, and they were long hitters at the time for their era. But these guys are just bigger. I certainly can't carry the ball that far, but I'm still one of the longer ones but not the longest by any stretch of the imagination."

• Rory McIlroy
On majors: "I never grew up chasing records or trying to put a certain number on it. I've got my second major, and there's going to be a lot of people getting sick of this phrase, but I got my second, and I'm looking for my third. Hopefully it's not too long before I get my third, and then when I get my third, I want to get my fourth. That's the way I'm approaching it. I don't want to put any number on it because if I just throw a random number out there and I don't get to it, I don't want me to be disappointed with a career that's actually very good or everyone else to feel like I haven't lived up to expectations.
"I have no set number. I'm very happy that I've won two majors, and I want to get that third one. But whenever it comes, it comes."

On the Ryder Cup: "I think the big thing about the Ryder Cup is you have to be a good team member. You can't be afraid to voice your opinion. If you really feel strongly about something in the team room, you've got to stand up and speak. And then it's just being confident, self‑belief, having a good attitude, because that's what the Ryder Cup is all about. Match play is about having the right attitude going in and being confident."

• Nick Watney
On whether a win this week would secure a Ryder Cup spot: "Well, if I were to win this week, I guess — I've heard (Love) said he's looking for a hot player, and I would have to classify myself as a hot player if I were to win two tournaments in a row. I could honestly see a scenario where I win this tournament, and Davis says, well, just based on the year, if Brandt or Dustin played well, I'm taking the two or three guys that are really experienced, and Brandt and Dustin have had a better collective season than this guy.
"Part of me wishes that I knew what I had to do, and part of me is glad that I don't. I'm excited to play the Deutsche Bank. I feel like I'm in great position as far as the Playoffs go, and if that call comes, like I said, I will be overjoyed, and if it doesn't, then the first five months of the season cost me."

• Jason Dufner
"You know, I can't wait for the Ryder Cup to finally get here. There's been a lot of talk about it since I made the team, so it's been an anticipation of the event. I think as a golfer, for me it's probably one of the biggest events, if not the biggest event to participate in. Pretty select amount of players, you only get 12 from each side every two years. So pretty tough team to get on, so it's a huge accomplishment for me. Just everything I've heard about the Ryder Cup has been fantastic and just a great experience overall professionally and personally."

On skipping the Barclays: "You know, the main goal for me is to be in that Tour Championship. If you're in that Tour Championship, you've got a realistic chance of winning the whole FedExCup. I didn't pay too much attention to it. I think somebody said I was sixth, so I guess I moved down a couple spots. But you'd like to be as high as you can obviously going into that Tour Championship. But I've got two weeks before that starts. I had a little bit of a nice luxury of playing so well during the season that I could kind of afford to take a week off."

COMMENTS

FedExCup Power Rankings: The Top 15 Golfers [23]

It's Playoff Season on the PGA Tour

It's playoff season on the PGA Tour, as the players descend on Bethpage State Park for The Barclays, the first of a four-tournament sprint to the FedExCup title and its accompanying $10 million payout.

Don't look to us to explain the format; you need a math degree from MIT to work your way through the various statistical scenarios. What we can do is give you list of contenders for the sixth FedExCup title. Missing from this list are three of the last four FedExCup winners — Jim Furyk (2011), Bill Haas (2010) and Vijay Singh (2008) — indicating that a slight changing of the FedEx guard might be afoot. Of course, the Cup's only two-time winner, Tiger Woods, is in the thick of the chase for the championship, and since his major drought continues, he might have to console himself with $10 million. That would buy a lot of meals at Perkins.

Here are 15 players to watch as the world's best contend for the Cup. In this ranking, we considered performance in this year's majors and WGC events, since they most closely approximate the conditions and field strength of the FedExCup quartet.

1. Rory McIlroy
Rory sits atop the golf world after eight-shot PGA win.
Current FedEx position: 3
2012 Wins: 2
2012 Top 10s: 7

2. Tiger Woods
Major drought now four-plus years and counting, but he's the only two-time Cup winner.
Current FedEx position: 1
2012 Wins: 3
2012 Top 10s: 6

3. Keegan Bradley
Playing some of the planet’s best golf right now. Put up a credible PGA title defense.
Current FedEx position: 8
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 5

4. Bubba Watson
Solid season proves he’s no one-hit wonder.
Current FedEx position: 5
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 5

5. Jason Dufner
Skipping The Barclays, but still a threat to win the Cup.
Current FedEx position: 2
2012 Wins: 2
2012 Top 10s: 8

6. Justin Rose
Red-hot Rose had top 5s at the Bridgestone and the PGA. He's due for a win.
Current FedEx position: 12
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 7

7. Zach Johnson
Sometimes, slow and steady wins the race.
Current FedEx position: 4
2012 Wins: 2
2012 Top 10s: 6

8. Steve Stricker
Typically solid campaign includes T7 at PGA.
Current FedEx position: 10
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 7

9. Matt Kuchar
Missed cut at PGA was a buzzkill for Kooch, but he's played well at the other marquee events.
Current FedEx position: 9
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 8

10. Carl Pettersson
Golf's most lovable Carl since Spackler is on a serious roll right now.
Current FedEx position: 7
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 6

THE NEXT 5
11. Ernie Els
Current FedEx position: 11
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 5

12. Hunter Mahan
Current FedEx position: 6
2012 Wins: 2
2012 Top 10s: 4

13. Luke Donald
Current FedEx position: 16
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 6

14. Dustin Johnson
Current FedEx position: 26
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 5

15. Graeme McDowell
Current FedEx position: 27
2012 Wins: 0
2012 Top 10s: 4

COMMENTS

Links:
[1] http://www.athlonsports.com/golf/slideshows/tour-championship-top-10
[2] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/section/golf
[3] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/brandt-snedeker
[4] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/dustin-johnson
[5] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/jason-dufner
[6] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/lee-westwood
[7] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/louis-oosthuizen
[8] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/nick-watney
[9] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/phil-mickelson
[10] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/rory-mcilroy
[11] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/tiger-woods
[12] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/zach-johnson
[13] http://www.athlonsports.com/golf/slideshows/10-contenders-2013-masters
[14] http://www.athlonsports.com/golf/slideshows/hole-hole-preview-augusta-national
[15] http://www.athlonsports.com/golf/slideshows/tiger-woods-greatest-recovery-shots
[16] http://www.athlonsports.com/golf/slideshows/golfs-greatest-trick-shot-videos
[17] http://www.athlonsports.com/golf/slideshows/golfs-worst-dressed-hall-shame
[18] http://www.athlonsports.com/nfl/slideshows/great-athletes-classic-ads-past
[19] http://www.athlonsports.com/golf/slideshows/pga-championship-slideshow
[20] http://www.athlonsports.com/golf/slideshows/live-pga-championship
[21] http://www.athlonsports.com/golf/slideshows/5-players-who-could-win-pga-and-3-who-wont
[22] http://www.athlonsports.com/golf/deutsche-bank-what-theyre-saying
[23] http://www.athlonsports.com/golf/fedexcup-power-rankings
[24] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/bubba-watson
[25] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/carl-pettersson
[26] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/ernie-els
[27] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/graeme-mcdowell
[28] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/hunter-mahan
[29] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/justin-rose
[30] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/keegan-bradley
[31] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/luke-donald
[32] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/matt-kuchar
[33] http://www.athlonsports.com/category/pga-golfers/steve-stricker

Jason Dufner

FedExCup: The Top 10 Players [1]

10. Jason Dufner

9. Zach Johnson

8. Lee Westwood

7. Dustin Johnson

6. Louis Oosthuizen

5. Brandt Snedeker

4. Phil Mickelson

3. Nick Watney

2. Tiger Woods

1. Rory McIlroy

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COMMENTS

Golf's Deutsche Bank Championship: What They're Saying [22]

COMMENTS

FedExCup Power Rankings: The Top 15 Golfers [23]

COMMENTS