Points, Perry and putting maintain FedExCup mystery

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Fans will have something to look forward to in the final round of THE TOUR Championship: The FedExCup champion big reveal.

Sep. 26, 2009
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor

ATLANTA -- In the first two years of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, the final-round Sunday at East Lake offered little suspense. The crowning of the champion was a mere formality, the final 18 holes used simply for coronation purposes.

Not so this Sunday.

In its third year, the Playoffs finally have drama on the final day of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. We do not yet know the identity of the 2009 FedExCup champ, and we may not even know until late in the day, perhaps not even until the final putt drops on the 72nd hole.

"That would be cool," said Phil Mickelson after shooting his way back into the tournament with a 4-under 66. "That's what we're wanting."

Indeed, it's what we've all wanted since the FedExCup was created, to provide excitement and buzz beyond the usual tournament competition. And now we've got it, thanks to a combination of the restructured points system, the oldest man in the field and the rare inability for the world's best player to seize a tournament by its throat.

Of course, Tiger Woods could still make all of this moot. He will start Sunday in second place, two shots off the lead held by Kenny Perry after a wonderful 6-under 64. If Woods -- who entered the tournament as the top seed in FedExCup points -- goes out and wins the tournament, he is guaranteed the FedExCup title.

Even if Woods doesn't win the tournament, he can still claim the FedExCup, depending on which other player does win. It could range from a solo second-place finish (if Padraig Harrington wins) to a solo eighth-place finish (if Mickelson wins) to a solo 19th-place finish (if Steve Marino wins).

If Perry wins, Woods can finish in a two-way tie for third and claim the FedExCup.

Tiger, of course, doesn't want to back into any kind of championship, especially one that comes with a $10 million bonus. He came to East Lake as the top seed in points, but due to the reset, he couldn't put the FedExCup crown in his back pocket like he did here two years when only a handful of players started the Playoffs finale with a mathematical shot of catching him.

"I'd much rather just win the tournament, and the FedExCup will take care of itself," he said.

Fortunately for the rest of the field, Woods didn't put the tournament away Saturday.

He entered the third round with a one-stroke lead, the 30th time in his career he has had solo possession of the lead after 36 holes. Of those previous 29 times, Woods maintained the lead after the third round on 26 occasions. And never had he failed to maintain the lead when shooting an under-par score -- that is, until Saturday when his 1-under 69 wasn't good enough to hold off Perry.

Despite playing well from tee to green, Woods didn't deliver much magic on East Lake's Bermudagrass putting surface. He admittedly was fooled "a few times" on uphill putts in which he had to decide whether to play the grain or the slope.

While frustrated on the greens, Woods didn't appear frustrated at losing the lead, never panicking when he saw Perry move up the leaderboard, or Mickelson make his charge. At one point, Woods was three shots behind, but a birdie on the par-5 15th helped him maintain contact.

"Some of the guys who played good rounds were playing themselves into the tournament," Woods said. "I was already in the tournament and just needed to hit a couple more putts, and I would have been right where Kenny is at."

At least Woods is in the final group, where he can keep an eye on Perry. Of course, the question for the 49-year-old Perry is whether he'll keep an eye on Woods, or on the projected FedExCup leaderboard.

After all, with a handful of notable names -- Mickelson, Sean O'Hair, Padraig Harrington, Steve Stricker and Ernie Els -- all within four shots of Woods, it's no cinch that Tiger will finish second.

Throw in all the various scenarios with ties, and it will be tempting to at least glance at your position on a leaderboard worth $10 million.

"There's a lot of scenarios out there," Perry said. "That will be neat to talk about tomorrow if that happens. I probably won't pay a lot of attention to the boards. If I can just kind of maintain what I'm doing right now and keep playing, we'll see.

"It might be some excitement coming down the last couple of holes. Everybody will kind of be figuring numbers and percentages, who falls where."

Of course, Perry is not the only one with a vested interest.

O'Hair, for instance, would seem to have a very realistic chance at the FedExCup should he win the tournament. Woods would just need to finish in a three-way tie for second, and considering that East Lake has played tough enough to keep the field bunched up, it's not outlandish to suggest that could happen.

Harrington, meanwhile, would win the FedExCup if he wins the tournament and Woods simply ties for second. The Irishman finds himself at 3 under, five shots off the lead; a year ago Camilo Villegas won THE TOUR Championship from that very same spot.

Stricker, of course, just needs to win the tournament outright. He shot 66 on Saturday; if he can find a way to shave a couple of more strokes off that ... well, you never know.

And that's the main thing right now. We don't know.

Kind of fun, isn't it?