Tour Championship Preview: FedEx Cup Finale set for Atlanta’s East Lake

It will be a quick turnaround for ten of the 12 players from the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team who will be in the 30-man field in Atlanta this week for the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. After three life-changing, career-defining days, a celebration that lasted into the wee hours of Monday morning and a short voyage south, the question is will they have anything left?

"Well, there better be," said Ryder Cup and Tour Championship Rookie Anthony Kim. "I'm playing against 29 players who deserve to be here and played great golf for a number of tournaments to get here. 

"It did take an emotional toll on me because our team did grind so hard," said the 23-year-old Kim who will be looking for his third victory on Tour this season. "But it's what we do for a living. You've got to get up, be ready to play, and go out there and try to make some birdies."

There is no question as to who will walk away from East Lake as the second FedEx Cup champion. Vijay Singh doesn't have to make a single birdie or eagle this week, having already secured the top spot in the season-ending FedEx Cup standings by virtue of his back-to-back victories at The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship. Barring injury or disqualification, Singh will claim the $10 million prize that goes to the cup champion at the completion of 72 holes.

"Vijay has played some tremendous golf, and obviously the points are structured the way we don't have a chance," said Kim. "At the same time we're still playing to win this golf tournament, and wherever you finish on the FedEx Cup, whether it's second or 30^th, at this point it doesn't really matter."

While Singh is a comfortable No. 1 in the standings, Chad Campbell, who was also a part of the winning Ryder Cup side, barely scratched his way into the field at No. 30.

Campbell had to pull out of the BMW Championship in St. Louis to be with his wife as she gave birth to a baby boy. But despite leaving the tournament early, Campbell managed to qualify on the number to get into the Tour Championship.

It's been an especially long three weeks for Campbell between his new baby and all the Ryder Cup happenings and he said he was hopeful that he had something left this week.

"It's so intense all week, really, but especially the last three days," Campbell said of the Ryder Cup. "I think we'll be fine. Might be a little tough that first day getting back into things, but once you start to feel it again, it'll fall into place."

The man whose match clinched the 37^th Ryder Cup for the United States, Jim Furyk, is one of fifteen players in this week's field that have yet to earn a win this year.

One player who won't be in search of his first PGA Tour victory of the season, or his career for that matter, is Camilo Villegas, who notched his first ever win two weeks ago in St. Louis at the BMW Championship. Villegas is currently No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings and has won more than $3.1 million this season.

Sergio Garcia, who is currently third in the FedEx Cup standings, will be the only player from the European Ryder Cup team competing this week at East Lake. Garcia was poised for his second PGA Tour win of the year after sinking a lengthy birdie putt on the first playoff hole at The Barclays but his effort was equaled by Singh who went on to win the tournament on the second extra hole.

While Garcia is the lone European team member in the field, only two golfers from the U.S. team won't be in Atlanta this week - Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes.

Other notables in the field include Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Kenny Perry, Ernie Els, Mike Weir, K.J. Choi and Trevor Immelman.

The winner of the Tour Championship will take home a first-place check of $1.26 million.

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