The First Tee at East Lake GC (The Tour Championship)

For the fourth time in six tournaments, we start this column off by congratulating Jason Day on his win at the BMW championship this past week. Day did not just win, he obliterated the field while setting the PGA record for lowest 54 hole total (-20). He started the tournament off by shooting a tidy 61 (-10), and then backed that up with a 63 on Friday. If Day had sat out the weekend and let the rest of the field play on, he would have still won by two strokes. It is hard to believe that Jordan Speith won the year's first two majors, and then finished 2^nd in the next two…but it will most likely be Day holding the Fed Ex Cup as well as being named Player of the Year. They have combined for nine wins thus far, but I am not writing off a t, in fact I expect either Day or Speith to win this week. They are not only battling for the status of champion and a fat bankroll, this week will go a long way in determining who is the World #1 during the upcoming lay off.

So what's on the line?

The Fed Ex Cup champion wins $10,000,000 in bonus money, which is deposited into their Tax Deferred Retirement account. The winners cannot withdraw the prize before their 45^th birthday, but they can invest it however they choose. Second place gets $3 million, third $2 million, fourth $1.5 million and fifth a cool million bucks. The bonuses continue all the way down the line, starting at $800K for sixth place and ending with $175K for 30^th place.

Making it to East Lake is an accomplishment for many in the field, but the beauty of the Fed Ex Cup is that every player in the field has a mathematical chance of winning once they reach the Tour Championship. With at worst $175K in bonus money for 30^th place, players have nothing to lose leading to a very fun and unpredictable weekend.

Let's take a look at some scenarios…

• -Jason Day wins the Fed Ex Cup with a win this weekend. It would mark his fifth win of the year and cement him as worlds #1. He also has a great chance of winning with a runner up finish, barring one of the top five don't finish first. Maybe the most impressive stat regarding Day this year is that he totaled 10 top five finishes in 19 events. I cannot imagine a week where I will have no exposure to Day. He is matchup proof.



• -Jordan Speith wins the Fed Ex Cup with a win at the Tour Championship. It would mark his fifth win—equaling Jason Day—and cap off a season that will go down in the history books. It is funny how things change so quickly. Last year Rory was light years ahead of everyone else and a dark horse to match or exceed Jack Nicklaus' major championship record. After the Masters and US Open, Speith had officially arrived and it was a forgone conclusion that he would be World #1 and the man to beat. Then Jason Day broke off four wins in less than two months and all of a sudden it looks like he had finally put it all together, which is a scary thought because physically speaking, his only equal is Dustin Johnson. With all of that said, if Speith were to win this week, he would match Day in wins, best him in majors (2 to 1) and win the Tour Championship and Fed Ex Cup. 2015 would belong to Jordan Speith.



• -- Ricky Fowler wins the Fed Ex Cup with a win at the Tour Championship. This is why Sunday will be so much fun. In the midst of a three win year--including the Players Championship--Fowler comes into this week with a Fed Ex title within his grasp. He can clinch with a win, but even more so, he improved his chances of winning with a 2^nd place finish by coming in 4^th place this past weekend at the BMW Championship. With a win, Fowler would have won the Players and Tour Championship, another Fed Ex Cup Event (Deutsche Bank) and the Scottish Links. That is good for Player of the Year most years, but 2015 was not most years.



• -Henrick Stenson wins the Fed Ex Cup with a win at the Tour Championship. Despite losing out on roughly half a million dollars, Stenson cannot be too upset about losing to Fowler at the Deutsche Bank, as he has a very good chance of hoisting the Fed Ex Cup for the second time in three years. He's finished 2^nd, 2^nd, and T10 in his last three events. A win would clinch for Stenson, but he's accumulated enough points during the playoffs to give himself a chance at winning with both a 2^nd and 3^rd place finish.



• -Bubba Watson wins the Fed Ex Cup with a win at the Tour Championship. It is only fitting that Bubba would be the last outright chance to capture the Fed Ex Cup with a win. He has a 2^nd, 2^nd and 3^rd place finish in his las six events, but did not play his best golf during the playoffs. Perhaps he is saving his best for last, which would make for an incredible ending to the season. Bubba is a wild card, so if it comes down to Bubba having to cut a 3 wood into the wind (over water) to a tucked pin, you know he's going for it.



• The top five players can all win the championship with a win, but there are others who will need a win and some help, that can really shake up the standings. Zach Johnson can win the Cup with a win and a Jason Day tie for 2^nd. If the top five all end up outside the top 10, Zach can theoretically win with even a 2^nd place. Dustin Johnson needs a win and a three way tie for 2^nd for Jason Day and Jordan Speith.
• My favorite scenario involves Daniel Berger. Coming into the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs, Berger had missed six straight cuts but survived to make the playoffs on the strength of a solid opening half of the year. He then proceeded to miss the cut at the Barclays to all but seal his fate. Fate was on his side, advancing him to the Deutsche Bank Championships where he played some good golf to finish in 12^th place. Berger was still a long shot to make the trip to East Lake, but put forth his best effort of the season, finishing in 2^nd place six shots back of Jason Day. Berger has now put himself in the position where if he can pull off an improbable victory and have Day, Speith, Fowler, Stenson and Bubba all finish outside the top 3, he would become the 2015 Fed Ex Cup champion, and 10 million dollars richer.



• I am sure that the majority of golf fans are hoping for a Sunday showdown between McIlroy, Speith, Day, Fowler, Stenson, Bubba and Dustin, and for that, well, I am no different. It would make for great television, cap the season off right and let the back nine on Sunday determine who wins, I can't imagine a more fitting ending. Unless the super-sleeper Berger defies all odds and beats the titans of the tour to secure not only his PGA Tour card and professional future, but security for his family for the rest of their lives. Now THAT, would be a fitting ending.