Golf

PGA notes

By Times wires
Published September 13, 2007

The five who can deliver in this FedEx Cup finale

Five golfers in today's 30-man field have a mathematical chance of winning the FedEx Cup and $10-million from the $35-million pot, according to the PGA Tour.

No. 1 Tiger Woods and No. 2Steve Stricker control their destiny. They win the $7-million Tour Championship on Sunday in Atlanta and they take the FedEx Cup. If No. 3 Phil Mickelson wins, earning 10,300 of the 50,000 Cup points up for grabs, Woods would beat him by 20 with a second alone. No. 4Rory Sabbatini and No. 5 K.J. Choi need help if either should win. In Sabbatini's case, Woods must finish 14th or lower and in Choi's situation, Woods must be lower than 22nd. Points earned by Stricker and Mickelson could also figure into either scenario.

Rank  FedEx last Cup Sunday's Golfer week events Points finish

Woods 3 2 112,733 1

Stricker 2 3 109,600 3

Mickelson 1 2 108,613 DNP

Sabbatini 5 3 103,588 T10

Choi 4 3 103,100 T38

Baddeley 11 3 102,800 2

Never say die

Yes, Aaron Baddeley is in the chart above. Because if the 26-year-old Aussie, who was born in New Hampshire, wins the Tour Championship, he would take the FedEx Cup ... if Tiger Woods withdraws or is disqualified, Phil Mickelson finishes lower than a two-way tie for second, and Steve Stricker is worse than third. Baddeley's 20 under par at the BMW Championship on Sunday would have won it in any other year (Woods was 22 under). He hasn't shot worse than 71 in the past 12 rounds. This is his first appearance at East Lake.

Hotlanta in August

Because of heat and a lack of rain, the PGA Tour closed three of the 7,154-yard, par-70 East Lake Golf Club's 18 greens - Nos. 2, 13 and 15 - to practice rounds Tuesday and Wednesday as it attempted to restore them to playing condition. Every green had been shut down before improvements were seen late Monday. While dried-out surfaces have forced organizers to keep hole locations away from damaged areas, the slower pace will allow them to cut holes on steeper-sloped sections. "We can be a little more aggressive on some hole placements," tour official Mark Russell said. "When the greens are rolling (fast), you can't do that." By the way, Bermuda grass, made for hotter climates, will replace creeping bentgrass for the 2008 event:

96.5 Average temperature for August, compared with a normal 87.9.

28 Days of 90-plus degrees.

25 Consecutive days without rain.

20.90 Inches, the year-to-date rainfall, 17.84 below the average total.

10 Days in a row it hit or exceeded 100.

[Last modified September 12, 2007, 22:29:13]