ATLANTA, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Golf's two biggest weeks of the year outside the major championships begin Thursday with the opening round of the Tour Championship.
Five players are in position to win the FedEx Cup and its $10 million first prize with a victory this week at the East Lake Country Club near downtown Atlanta.
Thirty players are left to battle for the FedEx Cup and, at least mathematically, all of them still have a chance to win it.
Those with the best opportunity to collect the $10 million, however, are Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Charley Hoffman, Steve Stricker and Paul Casey. Under the points system if any of them wins the Tour Championship this weekend he will capture the FedEx Cup no matter what anybody else does.
Every other player competing this week has to have help to win the cup. Phil Mickelson, for instance, will start in 10th place and for him to get to the top he would have to win the Tour Championship while Kuchar was finishing no better than fifth, Johnson no better than fourth and Hoffman and Stricker no better than third.
Bo Van Pelt and Kevin Streelman will be the first twosome off the first tee at 11:55 a.m. EDT. Kuchar and Johnson will tee off last at 12:55 p.m.
After the Tour Championship, nine of the Americans playing this week and one European (Luke Donald) will head to Wales for the Ryder Cup, which will begin at the Celtic Manor course Oct. 1.
The three U.S. Ryder Cup team members who missed the Tour Championship are Stewart Cink, Rickie Fowler and Tiger Woods, the defending FedEx Cup champion who wound up 51st on the points list this year. All three were made Ryder Cup wild-card selections by captain Corey Pavin, as was Zach Johnson.
