Bryson DeChambeau of Clovis is No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings and Justin Rose of England is No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings heading to the Tour Championship, which starts Thursday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
The 24-year-old DeChambeau (pictured), who is making his first appearance in the season-finale at East Lake, captured The Northern Trust and the Dell Technologies to open the playoffs.
If any player in the top five wins in Atlanta, he will take home the FedEx Cup and the $10-million bonus that goes with it.
“Winning two in a row is a lot more than I thought it would be, mentally and physically,” said DeChambeau, who in 2015 joined Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Ryan Moore to win the NCAA Championship (while playing at SMU), and the U.S. Amateur in the same year.
“But it’s really an honor, and I want to keep doing it. This is new territory for me, and I’m learning how to navigate the waters.”
Rose is second in the FedEx Cup standings, followed by Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson and defending champion Justin Thomas heading to East Lake.
The 38-year-old Rose finished second to DeChambeau in the Dell Technologies and was second again behind winner Keegan Bradley in the BMW Championship in the third playoff event. He has three runner-up finishes this season in addition to his victories in the Fort Worth Invitational and the WGC-HSBC Champions.
“Hate to round out the season with three seconds, but that could be good enough (to win the FedEx Cup),” Rose said after losing a playoff to Bradley in the BMW, when he went to No. 1 in the world. “Good couple weeks. What can I say? No. 2 is an incredible spot to be in. It’s a week that there’s many scenarios in play.
“To get to World No. 1 is unbelievable,” Rose said. “It’s something I can say now in my career I’ve been the best player in the world. I’ve been to the top of the game. That’s definitely some consolation. I just wish I could have enjoyed the moment (by winning), maybe.”
Thomas will try to become the first back-to-back FedEx Cup winner and join Tiger Woods (2007, 2009) as the only two-time winner in the 12-year history of the playoffs.
Woods, 42, is in the finale for the first time since 2013 following four back surgeries, having tied for sixth in the BMW, giving him an outside chance to win the FedEx Cup at 20th in the standings.
“Played a few tournaments where I was close at the end,” said Woods, who has been close a few times to his 80th victory on the circuit. “At the end of the season here, to say that I made it back to the Tour Championship after what I’ve been through is a pretty good accomplishment.”
Johnson will be trying to regain the No. 1 spot he lost to Rose, while the consistent Finau will again try to claim his first PGA Tour victory since his breakthrough win at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open.
