Week 4 FedExCup notes: FBR Open

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WEST COAST IMPORTANCE

For the first two seasons of the FedExCup, all of the players ranked in the top 10 at the end of the West Coast stretch qualified for the playoffs.

Four of the 10 in 2007 and three of the 10 in 2008 entered the playoffs ranked in the top 10. (Under this year's revised system, this will give them a big advantage)

Of the top-six, each year none of them was seeded higher than 22nd entering the playoffs.

Six of the 10 in 2007 and five of the 10 in 2008 reached THE TOUR Championship. (Tiger Woods would probably have made it in 2008 had he been healthy.)

Of the 20 players, 18 qualified for the first three playoff events.

2007 FedExCup standings 2008 FedExCup standings Player Rank after West Coast Rank entering Playoffs Final rank Player Rank after West Coast Rank entering Playoffs Final rank Charles Howell III 1 8 18 Tiger Woods 1 1 70 Phil Mickelson 2 4 3 Phil Mickelson 2 3 7 Vijay Singh 3 2 10 K.J. Choi 3 17 10 John Rollins 4 16 26 Justin Leonard 4 8 8 Aaron Baddeley 5 18 6 J.B. Holmes 5 22 38 Tiger Woods 6 1 1 Steve Stricker 6 21 14 Paul Goydos 7 53 59 Rory Sabbatini 7 55 69 Charley Hoffman 8 46 50 D.J. Trahan 8 18 24 Henrik Stenson 9 31 39 Daniel Chopra 9 40 102 Jeff Quinney 10 41 51 Steve Lowery 10 41 103

FedExCup Fast Fact

There are 24 players who can potentially move into first with a victory at this week's FBR Open. However, only four of these players could move into first with a solo second place finish, and only three of them could slide into the top with a solo third.

This week's featured FedExCup player

2005/1996 FBR Open champion Phil Mickelson

• Last year, Mickelson earned almost half of his Regular Season points in his opening-five events on the West Coast, finishing third in the 2008 FedExCup Regular Season standings. • Mickelson converted 40 percent of his birdie and eagle opportunities at last year's FBR Open and ranked seventh in birdie conversions in 2008. • Mickelson entered the Playoffs positioned in the top five in each of the first two years of FedExCup competition.