Plenty of players at the TPC Boston, knowing that if they missed the cut they would be going home. And in some cases, making the cut would allow them to punch their ticket to the Tour Championship - not to mention earn a ticket down Magnolia Lane for the Masters.
Take the case of Kevin Sutherland at No. 57. He had one great week - part of the three-man playoff at The Barclays - then made the cut in Boston and tied for 50th. Two weeks later, an ordinary year and one great week means Sutherland is No. 6 in the standings.
"What does it mean? That Barclays and this tournament are the two most important tournaments of the year to make the cut. By miles," said Geoff Ogilvy, another insightful mind. "That's awesome for the players who do."
But then he considered how many players might wind up at the Masters for having one or two good weeks at the right time - and remember, Augusta National does not want a big field - and he wondered how long the Masters would continue to invite the top 30.
"They'll take that exemption away quicker than you can say, 'Cut the rough,"' Ogilvy said.
Steve Dennis is the director of communications strategy for the PGA Tour, also known as the FedEx Cup guru. He didn't create the new system, but he can answer all the questions.
And there have been a lot of questions these first few weeks.
"The first thing I'd say is that the guys at the top of the FedEx Cup standings are guys who have played incredibly well," Dennis said, and that gets no argument.
"As in playoffs in other sports, if you lose you're gone, even if you had a perfect regular season," he said. "You have to have balance where your performance in the playoffs really matters, and the regular season really matters. We're only two events in. It looks to me like it's playing out pretty reasonably."
Ten guys played their way into the top 70 last week to qualify for the BMW Championship in St. Louis. The 10 who fell out of the top 70 all missed the cut in Boston.
Angel Cabrera and Tim Herron are the only players in St. Louis who started outside the top 120 in the playoffs and have advanced after each of the two rounds.
Well done? That's debatable.
