Prominent players between Nos. 125-150 in the FedExCup standings looking to secure top-125 status this week at the Wyndham Championship include major winners Ernie Els (No. 126), Padraig Harrington (130),Ben Curtis (No. 131), Justin Leonard (No. 142) and Angel Cabrera (No. 150), defending champion Arjun Atwal (No. 120) and young stars Camilo Villegas (No. 125) and Paul Casey (No. 147). With the FedExCup bubble being a key storyline this week, Els, Villegas and Cameron Beckman (No. 124) are grouped together for rounds 1-2 (Thursday – 7:40 a.m. ET #10; Friday – 12:40 p.m. ET #1) as are Casey, Harrington and Leonard (Thursday – 7:30 a.m. ET #10; Friday – 12:30 p.m. ET #1).
The following lists the 11 players that made the cut at all four majors in 2011 and their relation to par at the four events combined: Charl Schwartzel (-14); Sergio Garcia (-4); Steve Stricker (-4); Rory McIlroy (-2); Ryan Palmer (+3); Phil Mickelson (+4); Gary Woodland (+6); Y.E. Yang (+8); Bill Haas (+16); Bubba Watson (+20); Edoardo Molinari (+31).
In order to facilitate coverage of the Wyndham Championship and how it will affect the initial field of 125 for The Barclays, the PGA TOUR has created a new twitter feed: @FedExCupStats. The goal is to provide media and fans with quick facts, notes and statistics relevant to the FedExCup competition over the next six weeks.
Despite making a triple-bogey six on the par-3 15th hole in the final round, rookie Keegan Bradley picked up his second win of the season at the 93rd PGA Championship. Dating back to 1983, Bradley is just the seventh winner on the PGA TOUR to post a triple bogey or worse in the final round and the first to do so in a major championship. The last time a player made a triple or worse in the final round and won was 2003 Wells Fargo Championship (David Toms made quadruple bogey-8 on the 72nd hole). In majors, Tiger Woods posted a triple-bogey on the par-4 third hole in the third round while winning the 2000 U.S. Open.
En route to victory at the PGA Championship, Keegan Bradley converted a 40-foot birdie putt on the 71st hole in the final round. The average TOUR player makes just four percent of putts from 40 feet, with a higher probability of a 3-putt (10 percent from this distance).
Unless David Toms wins this week at the Wyndham Championship, Nick Watney will head into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup as the No. 1 seed in the FedExCup standings. Toms, currently eighth in the standings with 1,487 points after a T4 finish at the PGA Championship, trails Watney (1,906 points) by 418 points entering this week’s action.
Multiple top-10 major finishes in 2011:
Charl Schwarztel 1/Masters T9/U.S. Open
Jason Day T2/Masters 2/U.S. Open
Sergio Garcia T7/U.S. Open T9/Open Championship
Lee Westwood T3/U.S. Open T8/PGA Championship
Adam Scott T2/Masters 7/PGA Championship
Luke Donald T4/Masters T8/PGA Championship
CHAMPIONS TOUR
The Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship, with double Charles Schwab Cup points available, figures to have a significant impact on the current Charles Schwab Cup race. The winner will receive 810 points. At the start of July, Tom Lehman enjoyed a 480-point lead over Nick Price. Now, Lehman has four players within 500 points of his 1,661 total.
The Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship is the fourth-oldest event on the Champions Tour, being contested for the 29th consecutive season this year. Only the Senior PGA Championship (72 years), Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (34 years) and the U.S. Senior Open (32 years) are older.
Bob Gilder will make his 53rd consecutive start in a senior major at this week’s Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship, extending his all-time record for consecutive starts in majors on the Champions Tour. Gilder has never missed playing in a major championship as a member of the Champions Tour.
With 10 top-10 finishes in 15 appearances, including a win in 1999, Hale Irwin has earned more money at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship than any other player in tournament history -- $1,544,435. Irwin won the 1990 Buick Classic at Westchester and finished among the top 10 five times in 17 appearances at Westchester.
6 – The number of players scheduled to compete in the 2011 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship who have never competed in a PGA TOUR event at Westchester CC. This list includes David Eger, Mike Goodes, Chien Soon Lu, James Mason, Jim Rutledge and Rod Spittle.
Bob Gilder is remembered for one of the most famous shots in golf, a double-eagle two on the 509-yard 18th hole in the third round of the 1982 Westchester Classic. The 18th hole will play at 532 yards in the 2011 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Through 36 of 45 official events, there have been five multiple winners on the PGA TOUR this year --
Mark Wilson, Bubba Watson, Steve Stricker, Nick Watney and
Keegan Bradley. All five are Nationwide Tour grads. Bradley is the second former Nationwide Tour player to win two events in his rookie year (Notah Begay III / 1999).
Keegan Bradley's PGA Championship win was the 14th major championship title by a Nationwide Tour alumnus. It was the 315th alumni win on the PGA TOUR overall.
Another alum
Gary Woodland is honorary chairman for this week's Nationwide Tour event, the Midwest Classic in the Kansas City, Kan. suburb of Overland Park. The Topeka native will participate in a nine-hole exhibition on Tuesday with
George Brett, Deron Cherry and
Notah Begay III that supports the Folds of Honor Foundation.
Price Cutter Charity Championship winner
Steve Friesen became the fifth consecutive first-time winner and eighth of the year on the Nationwide Tour. It was only his second start of 2011.
J.J. Killeen's run at a record three wins in three weeks did not materialize last week. He shot 67-74 to miss the cut by two shots. It was only his second missed cut in 14 starts.
Danny Lee's streak of consecutive cuts made on the Nationwide Tour this year came to an end last week at the Price Cutter Charity Championship at nine.
Aaron Watkins now leads the category with ten.
It's been quite an up and down year for Aussie
Gavin Coles. After finishing T6 in the season opener in Panama, Coles missed his next 12 cuts. Things improved the last two weeks when he finished T61 (Omaha) and 2nd (Springfield, Mo.). He's 37th on the money list.
Greenville Country Club's Chanticleer layout will join the three-course rotation for the BMW Charity Pro-Am, along with Thornblade Club and Carolina Country Club.