FedEx Cup tracking

The start of the PGA Tour's new FedEx Cup playoff is just a few weeks away. Now's a good time to start tracking players as they move down the home stretch of the regular season. Each week CBS SportsLine will highlight a handful of players as they jockey for position in the FedEx Cup points standings.

The top 144 in FedEx Cup points gets a player to the post-season, which starts at Westchester Country Club in late August. But positioning will be crucial once in the playoffs.

There are a number of critical thresholds in the FedEx Cup points mix. Where a player stands entering the playoff dictates a certain competitive scenario.

The thresholds are something like this:
Top 5: A win in a playoff event could very well seal the deal. Although not an absolute lock.
Top 10: A couple top-10 finishes could do the trick.
Top 30: Need to bring your 'A-game' every week to have a shot.
Top 50: Winning one of the tournaments or a pair of runner-up finishes will get you in the hunt.
Top 70: Winning one of the tournaments is an imperative. Chances are very slim otherwise.
Top 120: Your survival in the playoffs is a week-to-week matter. A win and a top-10 could get you to Atlanta.
Top 144: Start praying. You must play the greatest golf of your life to make it through each stage. High improbability that you'll win the whole thing.

Using that as a thumbnail guide to measure the status of players, let's look at some golfers who have been making a move of late.

Current FedEx Cup points standings | FedEx Cup explained

Jonathan Byrd
	FedEx Cup position: 23rd place (7,076 points) Last three starts: Cut - Cut - 1 Chances to win the FedEx Cup: Long shot, but he's putting well enough to contend Checking the pulse: Byrd was on life support heading into the John Deere Classic, having missed four consecutive cuts heading into the week. But playing his first 36 holes with only one bogey put him in great position to collect his first win in three years on tour. The victory was his third top-10 of 2007. Tracking numbers: 2007 Putting Average: 1.728 (1st) Putts per Round (John Deere Classic): 27.0 (T4) Putting Average (John Deere Classic): 1.630 (7) Playoff prospects: Westchester: T36 was his best finish in three starts TPC Boston: T13 in 2003 is top result Cog Hill: Missed cut last year and only one top-25 East Lake: No career appearances What he can do with $10 million prize: His bank account will get a lot closer to fellow Sea Island, Georgia resident Davis Love III.
Heath Slocum
	FedEx Cup position: 27th place (6,464 points) Last three starts: Cut - Cut - T6 Chances to win the FedEx Cup: Great all-around game makes him a credible contestant Checking the pulse: Slocum opened the season with guns a-blazing, taking three top-10 finishes in his first six starts. His sixth place at the John Deere Classic was his first trip into rarefied air in over four months. Ever since earning a Nationwide Tour promotion to the PGA Tour in 2001, he has been one of the most accurate drivers out there. His four top-10s in 2007 already matches a career best. Tracking numbers: 2007 Driving Accuracy Percentage: 70.70% (8th) 2007 Approaches from more than 200 Yards: 43' 11" (1st) 2007 3-Putt Avoidance: 2.12% (8th) Playoff prospects: Westchester: Nothing in the top 50 in three starts TPC Boston: Two missed cuts and 44th last year Cog Hill: T7 and T12 in last two years East Lake: No career appearances What he can do with $10 million prize: Heath already sports the coolest shades on tour, but with 10 mill he could have those diamond-studded ones Elton John used to wear.
Nathan Green
	FedEx Cup position: 60th place (4,438 points) Last three starts: T72 - Cut - T3 Chances to win the FedEx Cup: Irons definitely need fixing before serious consideration Checking the pulse: Nathan Green was one of the finest rookie prospects to come onto the tour last year, finishing with six top-10s and $1.7 million. But his 2007 campaign has been a little less impressive. His third place at the John Deere was only his second top-10 of the season. Substandard ball striking is ruining a spectacular year on the greens. Tracking numbers: 2007 Putting Average: 1.731 (3rd) 2007 Putts per Round: 28.15 2nd 2007 Greens in Regulation: 59.87% (171st) Playoff prospects: Westchester: T47 in only start last year TPC Boston: T15 in 2006 Cog Hill: T30 in 2006 East Lake: No career appearances What he can do with $10 million prize: Green's biggest paycheck in golf was $500,000 for a hole-in-one at the Ericsson Masters. We don't know what he did with the money, but just multiply whatever it was by 20.
Jason Dufner
	FedEx Cup position: 114th place (2,126 points) Last three starts: T67 - Cut - T6 Chances to win the FedEx Cup: Slimmer than Olive Oyl. Checking the pulse: Dufner failed to retain his PGA Tour card in his first try in 2004. He has struggled again for the most part this year, but his sixth-place finish last week carried him across the top-120 threshold in the FedEx Cup points standings. But he still needs a strong finish to the season if he's going to keep his playoff spot. Tracking numbers: 2007 Bounce Back from Birdie Percentage: 22.39% (17th) 2007 Putting Average: 1.816 (152nd) Putting Average (John Deere Classic): 1.679 (12) Playoff prospects: Westchester: Missed cut in 2004 TPC Boston: T37 in 2004 Cog Hill: T51 and missed cut East Lake: No career appearances What he can do with $10 million prize: With a degree in economics from Auburn, he can figure it out himself.
Jeff Gove
	FedEx Cup position: 130th place (1,637 points) Last three starts: T73 - Cut - T6 Chances to win the FedEx Cup: Only in a fairytale world Checking the pulse: Four rounds in the 60s was good enough for a share of sixth place at the John Deere Classic. It was his best showing by a mile in 2007. It also brought him into playoff berth territory, but he'll be scratching and clawing his way for the rest of the regular season. Believe it or not, Gove ranks first in greens in regulation percentage, but his godawful stats everywhere else tells the true story. Tracking numbers: 2007 Greens in Regulation: 70.77% (1st) 2007 Putting Average: 1.838 (178th) 2007 Putts per Round: 30.92 (194th) Playoff prospects: Westchester: Two missed cuts and T60 TPC Boston: Missed cut in 2006 Cog Hill: Two missed cuts and T78 East Lake: No career appearances What he can do with $10 million prize: A team of putting instructors working 24-7.