The Loop

7 things you need to know after Week 1 of the FedEx Cup Playoffs

August 25, 2014

With the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs complete, here's what you need to know heading into Week 2:

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS WINNER

Hunter Mahan's Barclays victory vaulted him to No. 1 on the FedEx Cup points list, but no one made as big of a move Sunday as Stuart Appleby. At 98th in the standings entering the Barclays, Appleby needed a good week just to extend his season. He got a lot more than that with a closing 65 to finish T-2 (his previous best this season was a T-8 at the Honda Classic), jumping him 79 spots to No. 19. Now there's a good chance Appleby will play in all four FedEx Cup Playoff events.

MOST EXPENSIVE SHOT

Entering the Barclays at No. 96, Retief Goosen looked like he would advance with the top 100  to the Deutsche Bank Championship when he made the cut in New Jersey. But a pair of 74s on the weekend dropped him to No. 103 and eliminated him from the playoffs. The shot that ultimately did him in? A hooked drive Sunday on the par-5 17th. Goosen was looking to make a birdie, but after taking a drop he made a double bogey that he couldn't overcome even a closing birdie.

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MOST OPPORTUNISTIC

After missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship, Morgan Hoffmann had to sweat out even making the FedEx Cup Playoffs. At No. 124, he just got in. Good thing. Hoffmann took advantage of playing at Ridgewood CC, a course he grew up 10 minutes from, and finished T-9 to move all the way up to No. 72.

BIGGEST NAMES NOT MOVING ON

Lee Westwood made the cut, but his T-57 wasn't enough to vault him into the top 100. Meanwhile, Louis Oosthuizen and Nick Watney knew their fates when they didn't make it to the weekend. All three are surprising based on recent form. Westwood and Oosthuizen finished T-15 at the PGA Championship, and Watney -- a previous winner of the Barclays -- had three top-12 finishes in his previous four starts. Westwood also didn't do much to help his chances of making a ninth consecutive European Ryder Cup squad. Speaking of that Cup . . .

RYDER CUP WATCH

Mahan's win almost guarantees him a captain's pick for next month's Ryder Cup, but a few other players didn't do much to impress captain Tom Watson. Brendon Todd tanked on Sunday, and two favorites to get the nod, Brandt Snedeker and Webb Simpson, missed the cut. Players have one more tournament to show their stuff for Mr. Watson.

CRAZIEST "THAT'S SOOOO FEDEX CUP" MOMENT

Todd's terrible Sunday 76 dropped him 42 spots down the leader board to T-46, but it wound up having more of an effect on two other players in the field. He faced a 15-foot par putt on the 18th hole that didn't mean much to him, but wound up being the difference for the playoff fates of Geoff Ogilvy and Troy Merritt. Todd made the putt, allowing Ogilvy to stay in the top 100 and move on to the next playoff event, and ending Merritt's 2013-14 PGA Tour season. FedEx Cup madness!

BEST-TIMED BEST-EVER TOURNAMENT

Cameron Tringale had never finished better than third place on the PGA Tour (2013 Valspar Championship), but that changed after Sunday's 66 at the Barclays. Tringale's T-2 -- on his 27th birthday no less -- moved him up to No. 10 on the FedEx Cup points list from No. 61 and all but assured he'll make his first trip to the Tour Championship in three weeks. More good timing? Tringale got to celebrate his birthday in New York and has an extra day to party with the Deutsche Bank Championship not starting until Friday. Speaking of which . . .

NEXT UP

The FedEx Cup continues with the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, which will end on Labor Day Monday. At that point, the party will be over for another 30 pros as only the top 70 on the points list will head to Denver the following week for the BMW Championship.