This Week: The Barclays

Only four tournaments left in the 2010 PGA Tour season before the Fall Series takes over and most stars take some time off.

The Barclays begins the FedEx Cup playoffs with only the Top 125 finishers on the seasonlong points list eligible. One of those is not Arjun Atwal, winner of the preceeding Wyndham Championship. Because Atwal lost his tour card earlier in 2010, he is ineligible for the "playoffs."

But Tiger Woods is playing. The worst season of his career left Woods at No. 112 on the points list. Only the top 100 after The Barclays move on to the next tournament, so Woods needs a decent showing this week to keep playing. If he's one-and-done in the playoffs, that gives Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin - who finished ahead of Woods on the FedEx points list (but isn't playing The Barclays) - even more to think about. (I'm convinced Pavin is picking Woods no matter what.)

Woods needs to finish no lower than 58th to guarantee advancing into the Deutsche Bank Championship next week. In nine starts in 2010, Woods has one missed cut; one withdrawal after making the cut; and in the seven tournaments he completed he finished lower than 58th just once.

European Ryder Cup candidates Paul Casey, Padraig Harrington, Justin Rose and Luke Donald all are playing The Barclays, even though they haven't qualified for the Ryder Cup and even though the only tournament left in which to earn points for the Euro team is the Johnnie Walker Classic. Which is also this week. More on the very interesting Euro Ryder Cup situation here.

See The Barclays tourney profile for the list of past champions and other event info and trivia.