2009 TOUR Championship: player preview - seeds 11-20

September 22, 6:54 PMMinneapolis Golf ExaminerKyle Anway

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TOUR Championship player previews: Monday: 21-30; Tuesday 11-20; Wednesday 1-10

Though heavy rains continued to drench East Lake Golf Course all weekend, on Tuesday, the clouds parted and the drainage system that the course put in a few years ago was effective in keeping the course in playable shape for this weekend's TOUR Championship. Yesterday, we took a look at the lower seeds; today, it's time to take a look at the players ranked between 11 and 20, and which ones can leapfrog the leaders to claim not only the TOUR Championship crown, but also the FedEx Cup.

*Also needs other top-ranked players to finish poorly, but where current points leader Woods finishes is the most critical.

OF THE PLAYERS RANKED 21-30...

(Photo: AP/Nam Y. Huh)

Keep an eye on: Mark Leishman
Wait, who? Yes, a PGA Tour rookie has a great chance of winning the TOUR Championship, especially if Tiger Woods reverts back to the struggles he faced earlier in the playoffs. If that happens, a player like Leishman, who can drive the ball well and can hit greens in regulation like a seasoned veteran, stands a great chance of making a move. The only problem: he's a bit too far out to contend for the FedEx Cup, as his 16th place seed means that he'd need Tiger to finish 10th and Steve Stricker to finish fifth... and both are unlikely.

(Photo: AP/Nam Y. Huh)

Forget about: Phil Mickelson
With all he's been dealing with, seeing Phil take the TOUR Championship would be a great story. But the fact of the matter is that, since taking a break from golf after the cancer scares involving his wife, Amy, and his mother, Mary, his game has suffered. Phil hasn't finished higher than 27th, and even with the soft conditions at East Lake, he's not expected to contend for the title. Here's hoping he can find some small successes this week and at the President's Cup, and maintain that momentum into the 2010 season. 

(Photo: AP/Rich Schultz)

Most likely to win the tournament: Retief Goosen
When the chips are down against the best in the world, you want a player who's handled the pressure before. And no one outside of Woods has the TOUR Championship resume that Goosen has. Sure, he has yet to qualify for the finals since the FedEx Playoffs were created, but over the four years prior at East Lake, Goosen finished first (2004), third (2003) and fourth twice (2005, 2006). The bad news: Goosen needs Tiger to finish no better than 10th, something that Tiger has only done three times all year, despite his struggles.

(Photo: AP/Mel Evans)

Most likely to win it all: Dustin Johnson
The longest hitter remaining in the field, Johnson has a win at Pebble Beach along with a 4th place finish at the Deutsche Bank and a T10 at the PGA Championship on his 2009 resume. Is he the most talented golfer in the middle seeds? No. But in terms of what he needs in order to win the FedEx Cup, he has the advantage of only needing Tiger to finish in seventh place (along with poor finishes by other top seeds) in order to win his way to the cup. There are potential problems with predicting Johnson to win, and they start with his 178th-ranked driving accuracy and East Lake's thick rough. But if he can tame his driver and continue to putt effectively (ranked 12th in putting, and 6th in the all-around ranking), he's got a great chance to surprise.

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