Other major winners in the field and their scenarios for winning FedEx Cup:
No. 10 Jimmy Walker: Must win Tour Championship. Dustin Johnson must finish 5th or worse. Patrick Reed must finish in a 3-way tie for 3rd or worse. Adam Scott must finish in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse. Jason Day much finish T-2nd or worse. Paul Casey must finish 2nd or worse
No. 13 Phil Mickelson: Must win Tour Championship. Johnson much finish T-7th or worse, Reed must finish T-4th or worse, Scott must finish T-3rd or worse. Day must finish 3-way tie for 2nd or worse. Casey must finish T-2nd or worse.
No. 24 Bubba Watson: Must win Tour Championship. Johnson must finish 17th or worse. Reed must finish in 3-way tie for 5th or worse. Scott must finish in 3-way tie for 3rd or worse. Day must finish T-3rd or worse. Casey must finish in 3-way tie for 2nd or worse. Rory McIlroy must finish T-2nd or worse.
No. 27 Jason Dufner: Must win Tour Championship. Johnson must finish 23rd or worse. Reed must finish T-6th or worse. Scott must finish T-4th or worse. Day must finish T-3rd or worse. Casey must finish in 3-way tie for 2nd or worse. McIlroy must finish T-2nd or worse.
No. 30 Charl Schwartzel: Must win Tour Championship. Johnson must finish 29th or worse. Reed must finish in a 3-way tie for 6th or worse. Scott must finish T-4th or worse. Day must finish T-3rd or worse. Casey must finish in 3-way tie for 2nd or worse. McIlroy must finish T-2nd or worse.
On the way to winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup last year, Jordan Spieth showed up at East Lake Golf Club practically before the first Coca-Cola logo. The first of the privileged field reported to a virgin practice range. Spieth swept the dew on the Monday of tournament week and sent the message.
No one was going to beat him. Not to the course. Not on the course.
Spieth is running on a little different schedule now. He spent Monday in Chaska, Minn., rather than the east side of Atlanta, cavorting with teammates and hopefuls for the following week’s Ryder Cup. And, for this Tour Championship, he is occupying a slightly different rung on the FedEx food chain. Not among the top five in points this time — where a tournament win solves everything — he is equal parts scavenger and predator.
But he seems no less sure of his ability to win another $11 million and change for a week of golf.
“I think (my chances) are as good as last year,” he said.
Then after a hesitation, he did a little editing: “I mean not quite, I guess.
“I think we have as good a chance or better chance than anybody else given that we’ve done it and I feel comfortable on this golf course. I have no excuses this week. Go out and get the job done.”
In Spieth’s opening statement during his Tuesday presser, he said he was fully aware of what has to happen for him to defend the FedEx Cup. Asked later if he could recite the exact scenario off the top of his head, Spieth complied (here first assuming he wins the Tour Championship): “Dustin (Johnson, No. 1 seed) can’t finish in a two-way tie for second or better and Patrick (Reed, No. 2) can’t finish solo second.
“I told you guys I knew.”
When a golfer is performing such complex calculations not involving who buys back at the clubhouse, you know it must be for something meaningful.
One of the intrigue of this year’s Tour Championship is the pair of very high-profile players just below the Favored Five cut line. The last four winners of the FedEx Cup have come from this top group, any of whom is assured the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus if he wins the Tour Championship.
Everybody else needs a little help.
No. 6 is Rory McIlroy, who owns the dubious distinction of being the only player in brief FedEx Cup history to win one of the preceding playoff events — the Deutsche Bank on Sept. 5 — and not be among the top five seeds.
So, he must win and Johnson can’t finish solo second. Whether McIlroy has committed this to memory was unknown, as he was not spotted at East Lake on Tuesday.
Then there’s Spieth, just behind, coming to East Lake at No. 7 in points. And we all know what he’s got to do, right?
So, opportunities abound for the world’s third-ranked player (McIlroy) and its fourth (Spieth). The experience of asking for a little help may be foreign to players of their standing, but Spieth for one seemed to be getting comfortable with the notion Tuesday.
Once more looking ahead to the Ryder Cup, Spieth said, “Both (Johnson and Reed) are potential partners of mine so I do hope they both play well.”
Then, smiling: “Just a tie for third. T3 would be solid.”
According to golfodds.com, both are seen as reasonable options by the wise guys out west. McIlroy was listed Tuesday as 9-to-2 to win the FedEx Cup. Spieth was at 10-to-1. (Johnson naturally was favored to win it all, going off at 3-to-2).
Unlike a year ago when he roared into East Lake having won five tournaments, including the Masters and the U.S. Open, Spieth “only” has two PGA Tour victories and a memorably blown Masters to his credit entering 2016’s big finish.
“I’ve got an opportunity now to make it still potentially one of the top seasons that anyone has had this year if we take care of business this week and next. And for that to be ‘disappointing,’ that’s great,” he said.
In his mind, Spieth comes into this Tour Championship just as primed for something special as he was in 2015. “I feel great about where everything’s at and I feel we are ready to peak these next couple of weeks,” he said, employing the collective pronoun, as is his preference.
Spieth knows what he has to do. And, just as importantly for a player in his delicate position, Spieth knows well what a couple fellows in front of him have to not do.
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