So in an attempt to inject a bit more life and interest into tournaments, and because we’re both inveterate gamblers who are one bad card from being out on the streets, Jay Busbee and I are playing a golf version of a football suicide pool: We each pick one golfer per tournament and see how they do against each other, straight up. Victory over the other guy gets one point, victory in the tournament gets three points. (Double for the majors.) And when we burn a golfer, he’s done for the year. This week, it’s the Tour Championship. Yeehaw!

Busbee: Sometimes you fall down the stairs and land on your feet. That day, my friend, is today, as I realize that I have not, in fact, picked your new pal Justin Rose and therefore shall claim him this week at the Tour Championship. Sure, he hasn’t been particularly consistent, but he’s riding a week’s win momentum, and also he’s about one of only three guys in the field I haven’t yet picked, so he’s my take. Long as he doesn’t play like his brother Axl, he’ll be just fine.

Bacon: You ever see those old Western movies when they scan across a deserted town and the only thing you see is the rolling tumbleweed? That is my availability for this Tour Championship; a town with not much but one or two players rolling along. Lucky for me, John Senden is free, and he’s played fine in these playoffs. Am I confident with my pick? Heck no! Is my team falling apart faster than your Braves? Absolutely!

Last week: Busbee’s random shot in the dark of Aaron Baddeley actually finished t-22, but that didn’t hurt, as my pick of Brandt Snedeker did as well. Tie goes to nobody.

Current standings: Busbee 23, Bacon 22

Already Used: Busbee: Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, Chad Campbell, Bill Haas, Nick Watney, Tim Clark, Brian Gay, Matt Kuchar, KJ Choi, Webb Simpson, Jhonattan Vegas, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Jim Furyk, Luke Donald, Anthony Kim, Ben Crane, Zach Johnson, Sean O’Hair, Kenny Perry, David Toms, Lee Westwood, Spencer Levin, Gary Woodland, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Lucas Glover, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel, Charles Howell III, Bubba Watson, Brandt Snedeker, Aaron Baddeley.
Bacon: Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Marino, Ben Crane, Jhonattan Vegas, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell, Nick Watney, Padraig Harrington, Tiger Woods, Spencer Levin, Anthony Kim, Angel Cabrera, Aaron Baddeley, Pat Perez, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, David Toms, Rory Sabbatini, Chez Reavie, Jonathan Byrd, Phil Mickelson, Webb Simpson, K.J. Choi, Steve Stricker, Luke Donald, Charl Schwartzel, Jeff Overton, Rory McIlroy, Lucas Glover, Gary Woodland, Camilo Villegas, Brandt Snedeker.

The FedEx Cup playoffs are here, and that means there are just 30 guys with a chance to win the biggest monetary prize in all of golf. We conclude the rundown with the playoff frontrunner.

Imagine for a second that you actually had a five-foot putt to win a PGA Tour title. Close your eyes and try to recreate the nerves and thoughts that would be rushing through your mind, the adrenaline that would be pumping through your body.

There’s a lot of pressure that comes along with being in contention to win any tournament on the PGA Tour. But what if there was more on the line than just a tournament title and a million bucks? For instance, what if there was $10 million on the line? It’s safe to say the pressure goes to a completely different level.

No doubt Webb Simpson‘s going to be feeling that kind of pressure this week when he steps on the first tee at East Lake for the Tour Championship.

The FedEx Cup points leader has a sizable lead over his peers going into the final event. At this point, all he needs to do is post a strong finish and hope one of the guys in the top four spots doesn’t win.

But a lot can happen between now and Sunday afternoon. Besides maybe Luke Donald or Dustin Johnson, nobody has more pressure to succeed this week than Simpson. After a heartbreaking playoff loss at the Zurich earlier in the season, he won the final regular-season event of the year, the Wyndham Championship, before jettisoning himself to the top of the FedEx Cup pack with a win at the Deutsche Bank.

For a guy who didn’t have a PGA Tour win before this season, Webb Simpson’s doing all right. Now we get to find out if he’s ready to close the deal and walk away with $10 million.

Based on his stats, you’d have to think this is his time. He’s ranked second on tour in scoring average, and inside the top 15 in greens in regulation and scrambling. Simply put, he has the complete package this year.

On paper, it would appear he’s nearly uncatchable, but as we’ve seen in years past, anything can happen at the Tour Championship. It’s time to see if Webb Simpson has the nerves to leave Atlanta with the biggest payday of his life.

The FedEx Cup playoffs are here, and that means there are just 30 guys with a chance to win the biggest monetary prize in all of golf. Let’s continue to run down the list, shall we?

Let’s face it; Dustin Johnson hasn’t had the type of year most thought he would. A guy coming off a two-win season in 2010, most thought the long-hitting American who had been oh-so-close in the past few majors was ready to take the leap.

He had the length, he had the touch around the greens, and from what we could tell, Johnson had the confidence that you need to move from good to great. But 2011 wasn’t so kind to him. He struggled in the final round at Doral to finish second alone. He put together a great Sunday at the Memorial, but it wasn’t good enough to vault him to the top after a shaky first three days, and he infamously shanked a lay-up out of bounds on a relatively easy par-5 at the Open Championship to give Darren Clarke an easy walk to his first major.

But that just shows how good Dustin is. He can have a “bad” year, and still be second in the FedEx Cup, because when the playoffs begin, he seems to step his game up. A year ago, Johnson won the BMW Championship to get in the mix, and this year, it was The Barclays.

Now, Johnson is just one man from the $10 million bonus the FedEx hands out, and will be building on a final-round 66 he posted a year ago at the Tour Championship.

Sure, Johnson hasn’t played so great after The Barclays, finishing T42 and T65 in the other two playoff events, but it seems in the big events, when the pressure is turned up, Johnson is one of the few ready for the challenge, as I’m sure he’ll be this week in Atlanta.

The FedEx Cup playoffs are here, and that means there are just 30 guys with a chance to win the biggest monetary prize in all of golf. Let’s continue to run down the list, shall we?

This is how fast this game can change in the post-TW era: one minute you’re a forgotten man, buried in the depths of the money list, and the next, with one single win, you’re right in line to win an enormous, life-changing prize.

Justin Rose has been fairly outstanding in the playoffs, winning last week and placing T6 in the Barclays. Thus, a T68 in between didn’t hurt him significantly. He’s had a solid year all year long, carding five top 10s in the 21 events he’s entered. But he’s obviously peaking at exactly the right time.

Statistically, Rose is in the middle of the pack, though he does rank among the top 10 in sand saves and greens in regulation. So, yeah, if he gets the ball close to the green in good shape, he’s fine. Question now is, can he handle the pressure when he does get close?

The FedEx Cup playoffs are here, and that means there are just 30 guys with a chance to win the biggest monetary prize in all of golf. Let’s continue to run down the list, shall we?

Luke Donald‘s an affable enough fellow, insanely talented and riding a career hot streak. It’s put him at the top of the golf world, in numerical terms, at least. But there’s this nagging sense that he’s there not because of what he himself has accomplished, but because of what others haven’t.

He’s got an opportunity to change all that this week. Certainly, winning the FedEx Cup won’t compare with winning a major (sorry, PGA Tour). But it’ll go a long way toward quieting doubters of Donald’s ability and validity at the top of the world rankings.

It’s not that Donald hasn’t earned his ranking. This year alone, he’s won the Accenture Match Play, finished second at the Heritage and T2 at Bridgestone, and carded top-10 finishes in 12 of the 17 matches he’s played on tour. His playoff record includes a T3 at the Deutsche Bank and a fourth-place finish last week at the BMW, making him the highest-ranking non-winner in the playoffs. That’s not bad.

Statistically, he’s at the top of the charts in all categories that matter, led by a first-place ranking in scoring average. This, then, is the best possible time for him. Donald, like all the players in the top 5, controls his own destiny: win the Tour Championship, and he’s won the FedEx tournament.

Easy, right? If anyone in the field could make it look that way, it’s Donald.