15 storylines heading into FedExCup Final

Not that this is a real surprise, but a TOUR Championship and FedEx Cup final without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson probably won't help television ratings. Then again, neither finished his respective season in the top 40 of the Cup standings. Golf fans just need to realize that Tiger's and Lefty's days as perennial tournament contenders have likely passed.

Woods and Mickelson aren't the only big names who won't be in Atlanta this weekend, at least not as part of the official TOUR Championship field. The struggles for Jordan Spieth continued, and a tie for 37th at the BMW Championship last weekend left him 44th in the standings — two back of Woods. Jason Day, meanwhile, finished 54th in the FedEx Cup rankings and posted just one top-10 finish after tying for fifth at the Masters.

It's not like the final event of the PGA Tour season is void of talent. Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose are all in the field. Though, not all those golfers mentioned have a serious chance of the winning the TOUR Championship, thus the FedEx Cup title either. Why not...?

...Because the current leader will start at 10-under par, the most significant update and twist to the FedEx Cup Playoffs format for 2019. That honor goes to Justin Thomas. He's followed by Patrick Cantlay (starting at 8-under), Koepka (7-under), Patrick Reed (6-under) and McIroy (5-under) to round out the top five. Running down the list, golfers ranked 26-30 start at the traditional even par as spelled out by the PGA. 

With this so-called "head start," something similar to a point spread — which should make the gambling population happy — in place, then what does that mean for the golfer who shoots the lowest, unadjusted 72-hole score at East Lake this weekend? Nothing. All that matters is who is atop the leaderboard, pre-tournament assessed strokes and all, when the TOUR Championship is complete.

That means Thomas is in the driver's seat, correct? For now, yes. By shooting a ridiculous 25-under to win the BMW by three strokes over Cantlay, Thomas jumped from 15th in the standings to the top of the mountain. Now Thomas, the 2017 winner of the FedEx Cup, is in position to become the first golfer since Tiger Woods to win the title twice. However, Thomas has never won the TOUR Championship.

This was slated to be Cantlay's breakout season, or at least he was somebody to keep an eye on when this all began. Now, his season was far from subpar (one victory, nine top 10s), and he has a good chance to end it all a richer man than he already is. A second at the BMW after a T12 at the Northern Trust the week before makes Cantlay a major threat.

A tie for 24th at the BMW last week leaves Koepka three shots back of Thomas entering Atlanta. That's obviously not insurmountable, but we need to see the Koepka we saw for most of the season. He's still the top-ranked golfer in the world and a win this weekend will solidify that. However, if he is not crowned FedEx Cup champ, we still think he's the best golfer on the planet, at the moment.

Rory's failed-to-make-the-cut effort at the Open Championship on his home soil is one of the most disappointing moments of his career. However, let's give McIlroy credit. He's bounced back pretty well (two top 10s and a T19) and has a chance to win his second FedEx Cup. It's not going to be easy at East Lake, but maybe this is where McIlroy really shows why he's among the best in the world.

Wouldn't it be something if Patrick Reed manages to win the FedEx Cup? It would certainly be a 180-degree turn from how he ended the 2018 campaign, Back then Reed was somewhat of a pariah for his post-Ryder Cup comments. Now he has a shot at possibly claiming the FedEx Cup after winning the Northern Trust.

Here's our obligatory Dustin Johnson update. Yes, for those golf fans who lost track, DJ is still hanging around the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He's 14th in the standings and will begin the TOUR Championship at 3-under par. Johnson has played relatively well at East Lake in the past, but he might be a dark horse at best this weekend, though we might not be surprised if he shot the unadjusted 72-hole best.

Corey Conners will not win the FedEx Cup title in 2019, but the fact that he is among the top 30 golfers at the end of the season is an accomplishment in itself. The Canadian, who won the Texas Open as a Monday qualifier, tied for seventh at the BMW last week, and regardless of where he finishes at the TOUR, he is going to take home quite a bit of cash.

Just how much money will be on the line, or rather in the pool, this weekend at the TOUR Championship? The total purse for the FedEx Cup sits at $60 million — an increase of $25 million over last year. Of that pot, $15 million will go to Sunday's winner, which is also a raise from the $10 million that Justin Rose took home as champion in 2018.

Lost in the hype and hoopla of the FedExCup Playoffs, the strokes and all that money is the venue where it all comes down. The East Lake Club, the great Bobby Jones home course, has hosted the TOUR Championship since 2004. There is plenty of history to be found on its fairways and greens, which have hosted the 1963 Ryder Cup and 2001 U.S. Amateur. 

We're about to find out. In theory, the new format and awarded strokes give the guys who have played consistently well for two weeks the chance to take home the big money. But how long before the novelty wears off and the PGA Tour decides to find another way of tinkering with the playoffs? Golf fans should brace themselves for the expected backlash come Monday.