PEREZ KEEPS HIS CHANCE ALIVE
FedExCup long shot opens Tour finale with 2-under-par 68
Pat Perez didn’t give himself much of a chance to win the FedExCup and the $10 million bonus this week.
“For me to win the FedExCup, there’s got to be a million things that have to go right, and the biggest one happens to be me winning,” Perez said on the eve of The Tour Championship. “It’s about the same odds as winning the Powerball. No chance.”
While he doesn’t play Powerball — “I ( buy) a can of chew instead, get more enjoyment out of that,” he said — his chances aren’t
1 million-1 to win this week and capture the FedExCup and the
$10 million. Yes, he faces long odds, but he still has a chance after posting a 2-under-par 68 Thursday in the opening round of the season-finale at East Lake Golf Club.
While the top five in the standings — British Open champion Jordan Spieth, PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Marc Leishman and Jon Rahm — automatically win the FedExCup and the $10 million if they win The Tour Championship, Perez, 11th in the standings, needs a lot of things to fall into place. He must win and have the following happen: Spieth has to finish in a tie for sixth or worse; Thomas in a three-way tie for third or worse; Johnson a three-way tie for second or worse, and Leishman and Rahm to both finish in a tie for second or worse.
“I’m not saying it’s not in the cards, but it’s going to be very, very difficult,” said Perez, who at
41 is the oldest player in the 30man field and making his Tour Championship debut.
Kyle Stanley faces even longer odds than Perez but improved his position immensely with a sizzling
64 on a scalding day in Hotlanta to set the pace. Stanley is No. 22 in the standings but is now projected to finish second. In addition to needing a win, he has to have a bunch of scenarios fall his way, starting with Spieth finishing in a three-way tie for 13th or worse.
“It would take a lot of luck on my part,” Stanley said after he took a two-shot lead on Daniel Berger, Webb Simpson, Paul Casey and reigning U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka.
Spieth, Thomas and Rahm didn’t do any of the long shots favors. Each signed for a 67. World No. 2 Johnson shot 68, Leishman
71.
Stanley also is playing The Tour Championship for the first time and took to the course quite nicely. He made four consecutive birdies starting on the third hole. His lone bogey came on the eighth.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Stanley said of playing East Lake for the first time. “When we played our practice rounds, I thought it was really a difficult test. Today it was nice to get off to a pretty fast start making four birdies in a row, and I was able to make a few on the back nine. So I just tried to not complicate things, keep the ball in front of me and maybe make a few putts.
“I don’t have too good of a game plan I guess for this golf course, seeing it for the first time, but I felt like hitting a lot of fairways and giving myself chances on second shots would be key.”
Simpson missed The Tour Championship the last two years after playing at East Lake four consecutive years during a time in which he won four tournaments, including the 2012 U.S. Open. He went through all the scenarios that have to occur for him to win the FedExCup in the three days leading into the tournament. Now he’s just focused on one day at a time.
“I know that it’s crazy, the reset of the points and what has to happen and the guys at the top are playing good golf, so it’s not really a thought,” Simpson said. “But it feels nice to get off to a good start. I told somebody yesterday that I’m definitely way more thankful to be here than I was the four years in a row I came here, and it’s because of what you said. It’s hard to get here.
“I feel like the competition on the PGA Tour’s better every year. Purses are bigger, there’s FedExCup points, and guys are hungrier than ever. And next season starts my 10th season, so I’m not that young anymore. It felt a lot more special this year after missing two in a row and knowing that I had a tough mountain to climb. I just started playing well the last few months, and so it feels great to be back.”
No matter the odds he faces.