The Loop
Why Hunter Mahan's record playoff streak is in serious jeopardy
Who is the only golfer to play in every event in the history of the FedEx Cup Playoffs?
Hunter Mahan has been the answer to this bit of trivia for the past couple years. But soon, that might be a trick question.
Mahan, last year's Barclays champ (at Ridgefield CC), opened with a 78 in his title defense at Plainfield CC on Thursday, placing him tied for last. At No. 77 on the FedEx Cup points list, he should squeak into next week's event (even if he misses the cut), but it gets trickier after that.
Assuming Mahan doesn't make it to the weekend here, he is going to need at least a top-10 finish at the Deutsche Bank to move into the top 70 in the standings and earn a tee time at the BMW Championship, the third leg of the postseason. That task will be made tougher by Mahan's relatively poor track record at TPC Boston. In 12 career starts there, Mahan has just one top 10, a T-8 in 2011.