The silly season has arrived on the PGA Tour. The cash bonanza for the players is vast and, at the end of these three weeks, the winner will pocket a minimum of $18m.
It is also the time when the points in the next two weeks will double and triple and your regular season form doesn’t count for much.
We have three participants with Rory McIlroy, Seamus Power and Shane Lowry involved. Rory is the favourite from the home players and is attempting to claim his third Fed Ex crown.
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It is only Seamus' second appearance in the playoffs but as he is currently in 24th position he has a very good chance of making the final Tour Championship.
Shane brings up the rear but, in 28th, he too is well positioned to make a tilt at the title.
It has been a wonderful regular season for all three. Rory leads the way with two wins, one in Vegas and the other in Canada. In seventh position in the standings, he has been Mr Consistent all season.
His two wins in the regular season aligned with 13 top 25s in 15 starts. He was the most consistent player in the majors by eight shots, without claiming a victory
The difference in the playoffs is that he needs a quick start to get in the mix. The first two tournaments give you a ranking for the Tour Championship so it is key to be as close to the top five - at least - to have dreams of picking up the lion's share of the loot.
His loss - or third place finish - at St Andrews was hard to take, but now the majors are over so the mindset shift is key. He has been the spokesperson for the Tour with the current upheaval and to be crowned Fed Ex champion would be very sweet.
It is new ground for Seamus. He has had an amazing year, backing up his win last year in Kentucky.
It is every player’s goal at the start of the season to make it to Atlanta and Power, who has had five top 10s, has been at the top end of the rankings all season.
He has had a nice break since missing the cut at the Open and should be fresh and keen to finish off an impressive season to date.
Shane has also shown great consistency but, like Seamus, is without a victory. He had a crazy week at Sedgefield last week, thinking on Friday that he would miss the cut and flying home only to make his return to compete at the weekend.
His clubs got lost on the journey over from Ireland pre-tournament and no doubt affected his preparations. But all that will hopefully have knocked the rust off post the Open and he will be buoyed to finish off the season.
He has never made the tour championship so new ground is in sight.
The way the breakdown works he, like Seamus, will need to play very well to stay in the top 30.
The money is vast and the last man in Atlanta banks $500,000 for his labours. Like I said, it is the silly season and proof that whilst opposition is out there, the PGA Tour is still a very lucrative career.
But while they will all have much confidence a fast start is crucial.
Maguire continues to impress
Leona Maguire will headline the ISPS Handa World Invitational this week.
It is a mixed event on both the DP World and LET Tours, and Daniel Gavins and Pajaree Anannarukarn will defend both titles.
It will be played on both Galgorm and Massereene. With great history and some splendid weather in store, the crowds will support what is a very important showcase for both Tours.
Leona is fresh from her best ever major finish at Muirfield. Her final round 67 charged through the field on a tough day to finish t4th.
It also pocketed her over €300,000 and moved her up the CME rankings to 13TH. Leona has now broken through the million dollar mark in earnings this year.
Her win at the start of the year was historic and she continues to improve. Stephanie Meadow has already won this crown so Leona will be keen to live up to her favourites tag.
It was great to see Dermot Byrne back on the bag. His experience and guidance have made a massive difference to Leona’s form since last May ’21.
ISPS Handa World Invitational
The ISPS Handa World Invitational is also a great opportunity for our younger stars to continue to grow. John Murphy is coming into this week off two third place finishes on the Challenge Tour.
He is 31 under for his last eight rounds and will have the added motivation of getting his Tour status in one fell swoop with a win. His performance at the Dunhill last year in a much deeper field will give him great hope.
Finally, we are seeing the next tranche of young Irish pros show some promise.
Tom McKibben is at the forefront of this group at the moment. He is top 20 on the Challenge Tour in line to gain promotion to the main DP World Tour. It would be a huge achievement for the teenager to make it.
I will be inside the ropes for the tournament as an on course commentator with Sky Sports and hopefully will see these young stars perform up close.
It is a tough grind trying to get off these Tours and build your golfing career. The very fact that we have players proving themselves at this level gives them hope that the step up is close. It also helps others to believe.
There is no better time at home, with big crowds present and a big purse on offer, for these players to fulfil their promise. I wish all the home players the very best and hope that they embrace the opportunity.
Betting slip
FedEx St Jude Championship
Jon Rahm 20/1 A big price for the former world number one
Tyrrell Hatton 50/1 Well rested and solid on his return last week
Seamus Power 80/1 Over -priced for his ranking for this one.
ISPS HANDA
Richard Mansell 20/1 Has a good skill set around here
Conor Purcell 100/1 Price-wise the pick of the home players
Richard Karl Karlberg 100/1 It's a big price if his game clicks
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