Biggest mover: Kevin Streelman
He moved: 65 spots, from 102nd to 37th
Because: He tied for fourth at the Wyndham Championship.
Sure, he struggled to a one-over 72 on Sunday, but the fact remains that this TOUR rookie is making an impact — again. After a sixth-place finish at the Wyndham Championship, he posts the best TOUR finish of his young career in the Playoff opener. What does he have in store for us this week in Boston?
Welcome to the field: Martin Laird
He moved: 61 spots, from 128th to 67th
Because: He tied for seventh at The Barclays.
You want volitility? Consider this: Laird was tied for 30th at the Barclays entering Sunday’s play. A Sunday 67 later and he’s got his third top-10 finish in a row and he’s packing his bags for Boston after garnering more than 5,000 FedExCup points in his last three starts.
Welcome to the top three: Kevin Sutherland
He moved: 54 spots, from 76th to 26th
Because: He tied for second at The Barclays
You remember Sutherland, don’t you? He was that “other guy” in Sunday’s three-man playoff with Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia. Worthy of note is that Sutherland had the most consistent scores of the week amongst Sunday’s final leaders. His “worst” round was a 70 on Thursday. His best? A 68 on Sunday.
Welcome to the top 30: Mathew Goggin
He moved: 50 spots, from 153rd to 141st
Because: He tied for fourth at The Barclays
A bogey-free 67 on Sunday gave Goggin his first top-five since June. Interestingly enough, it was also Goggin’s first made cut in almost two months. Want to be more confused? Goggin tied for second at the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley in early June. Which Goggin will arrive in Boston?
Look out for: Vijay Singh
He moved: Six spots, from seventh to first
Because: He won The Barclays
So much for that balky putter, huh? Two wins in the past four weeks, both against stellar fields make Vijay the man to beat in the Playoffs. Singh won the 2004 Deutsch Bank Championship, and in ’06 he finished second to Tiger Woods, who, of course, is not in the field.
*****from Jim Modlin, courtesy of pgatour.com*****