Here's the simple math:
— The reset of points have bunched the 144 players closer together. A year ago, the gap between No. 1 and No. 144 was 15,300 points. This year, the gap between first and last is 7,930 points.
— An additional 2,000 points are available at every position in the playoff events. That means the player at No. 44 could win The Barclays and move up to No. 1 in the standings. Last year, the highest No. 144 could improve with a victory was to No. 27.
Now, the odds of that happening are about the same as Woods kissing the FedEx Cup. The reason guys like Janzen and Beem have such low seeds is they haven't come close to winning in their 20 previous tournaments.
But at least there's hope, giving these "playoffs" a chance to look like other postseasons.
"The tour said they wanted more volatility, but are they setting themselves up for a guy like me?" Beem said. "Have I had a better year than Kenny Perry or Padraig Harrington? No. But the playoffs aren't all about who had the best year, it's who is playing well in the playoffs. The New York Giants certainly were not the best team in the league, but they won the Super Bowl."
The Giants first had to win road games against Tampa Bay, the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. That might be easier than Beem, Janzen or anyone else outside the top 70 suddenly finding their game and sustaining it for the next month.
And it makes it harder for those who don't play.
Woods, who played only six times this year and still earned the No. 1 seed, isn't the only player on injured reserve. Luke Donald (44) is done for the season after wrist surgery, joined by Alex Cejka (91), Jason Bohn (96) and Roland Thatcher (140). Bob Estes (124) is getting married this weekend, Justin Rose (78) is playing in Holland to bolster his Ryder Cup bid and Lee Westwood (50) is on holiday.
Only 136 players will tee it up Thursday at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey.
That Beem is among them is still hard for him to fathom.
"I seem to be the biggest procrastinator in the world when it means something," Beem said. "It's a wonder I ever got married and had kids. But you know, they give you 42 weeks. Just because I waited until the last week doesn't bother me. I'm elated to be where I'm at."
Instead of going home to Austin, Texas, for the next month, Beem had to rearrange his travel schedule. He found a hotel for The Barclays, and was thinking about making hotel reservations in the Boston area for next week.
Then he changed his mind.
"Maybe I should wait until Sunday," he said.
