Las Vegas PGA Tour Pros Jockey for Position as Chase for FedEx Cup is Here

Las Vegas, Nevada (August 21, 2010 UPDATE 8/24)—No less than 11 PGA Tour pros with deep Las Vegas ties will be in the field when the Top 125 start the chase for the FedEx Cup. The first event is the Barclays which gets under way this Thursday at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey. How far can these 11 Las Vegas guys go in the chase? Only time…and their golf games…will tell. All mentioned in this article plus Adam Scott made the FedEx Cup Playoffs.  For the field of the Barclays, click now.--by Bill Bowman.

Rickie Fowler leads the way for the Las Vegas contingent as he’s in the 16th spot in the rankings so he’s very secure to move on as the top 100 will be eligible for the second round, played at the Deutsche Bank Championship near Boston. Also probably very safe for the Vegas group are Nick Watney (29), Ryan Moore (35), Kevin Na (42), Chad Campbell (70) and Charley Hoffman (72). Then we get into some guys who have to play well to hold onto their spots--or move up: Alex Prugh (80) and Alex Cejka (82). Then there are those who need to play very well…and even that may not be good enough: Bill Lunde (97), Chris Riley (T-105) and Dean Wilson (T-105) are right on the bubble and will definitely need a solid week to keep playing in the chase. Na, Riley and Prugh are playing this weekend after making the cut at the Wyndham Championship while Wilson, Moore and Cejka missed the cut. The other five didn't play this week. The good news is there’s still the fall season coming up if and when these guys are knocked out of the playoff run, but all of these guys want to keep in the hunt for the FedEx title and the $10 million that goes to the champion. A 12th Las Vegas player is still trying to get in the Cup chase. Scott Piercy is right on the edge heading into the final weekend to qualify. He made the cut this week and came in 140th on the list...but that number changes by the minute so to keep track of the FedEx Cup race, including the final standings, click here.

It’s not like these Las Vegas players haven’t already had a great season. Combined, the they have made more than $14.55 million this year with Fowler topping the list at $2.25 million. Even Wilson, low man on the totem pole of these 11, has had a solid year at $678,000. Five of them have earned more than $1 million. And if you don’t think this year’s FedEx Cup is going to be a wide-open shootout, consider this fact: Tiger Woods, winner of two of the first three FedEx Cup crowns and the defending champion, comes in at No. 108 as the series gets under way. If Tiger doesn’t have a great first week, along with a little help from some players playing poorly, he likely won’t make it to the second event. For more on the Las Vegas pro golf scene, click here.