Atlanta, GA …
The maths for FedEx Cup victory maths for Bryson DeChambeau is simple.
If the recently-turned 25-year old wins the season-ending Tour Championship and he becomes FedEx Cup champion.
The PGA Tour has worked out a winning scenario for all 30 players teeing up on the East Lake course in suburban Atlanta but realistically just six – DeChambeau, Justin Rose, who is lying in second place, Tony Finau (third), Dustin Johnson (fourth), Justin Thomas (fifth) and Keegan Bradley (sixth) – have the chance of victory.
Rose, Finau, Johnson and Thomas could deny DeChambeau should either win the Tour Championship while Bradley, should he win, would need for DeChambeau to finish tied second or worse.
Bryson DeChambeau (Photo – @tourmiss)
It then becomes more complicated the further down the FedEx Cup and with the No. 20 ranked Tiger Woods, and a winner of the FedEx Cup in 2007 and 2009.
Woods could win the Tour Championship but then DeChambeau must finish T15th or worse, Rose end in a three-way share of 5th or worse, Finau to finish T3rd of worse, Johnson in a three-way tie for second or worse, Thomas in a three-way tie for second or worse and Bradley would also need to finish T2nd or worse.
DeChambeau, and a three-time winner this season, is just delighted to be making his Tour Championship debut
“It’s an honour to be here at East Lake for my first Tour Championship, and it’s been a long season, and I’m glad that I’ve been able to play as well as I’ve played,” he said.
Bryson DeChambeau (Photo @tourmiss)
“And to come in here No. 1 is a pretty special spot. You’ve got obviously five other guys that could win it outright, and so your goal is still just to go out and win this event, and that’s what I’m going to try and do.”
DeChambeau turned 25 last Sunday having celebrated his birthday a few weeks earlier with back-to-back victories in the Northern Trust and Dell Technologies Championship.
The current World No. 8 will next week also celebrate making his Ryder Cup debut and if playing a practice round Tuesday afternoon alongside Tiger Woods is any indication, DeChambeau could be partnering Woods in Versailles.
“I don’t know that answer why we’ve clicked, but what I can tell you is that it’s always fun picking Tiger’s brain a little bit,” he said.
“And every once in a while, he tells me, dude, what are you doing? I’m just like, I’m trying to get better, man, I’m trying to short-change that learning curve.
Bryson DeChambeau (Photo – @tourmiss)
“He was able to come out here and have a lot of success early, and so many people are so good now that I felt like there was this gap that needed to be learned in order to be one of the best out here.
“And so, I’m trying to short-change that learning process, of all the variables and understanding all the conditions”.
Johnson, who had both a Tour Championship and FedEx Cup victory snatched from his grasp in 2016 by Rory McIlroy, knows also victory this week in his hands.
“Being in the top-5, I control my own destiny,” he said.
Bryson DeChambeau (Photo – @tourmiss)
“It’s kind of the spot where you want to be. If you’re not No. 1, you definitely want to be in the top-5 at this event, and I’m sitting at four, so yeah, I mean, I control my own destiny.
“If I have a good week and can win, then I can be the FedExCup champion.”
And McIlroy, who had failed to qualify for East Lake a year ago, goes into the last event of the season lying 17th and looking for a second win in what has been a mixed season for the Northern Irishman.
“If I win the Tour Championship and don’t win the FedEx Cup I will be very good with and then if I play well this week and end up not winning at all, I will still leave East Lake a very happy guy”, said McIlroy.
