2012 FedEx Cup: Which Playoff Course Best Fits Each Top 25 Contender's Game?

After The Barclays shook up the 2012 FedEx Cup standings, the action shifts to the TPC Boston course for the Deutsche Bank Championship on Friday.

Playoff golf for the entire long Labor Day weekend—and the drama it entails—is all a PGA Tour fan could want.

Which playoff venue suits the individual game's best of the top 25 contenders?

Answering that question may provide an indication of who can improve their position to lock up a top-30 spot in the FedEx Cup standings.

From there, a TOUR Championship berth is secure and a shot at the $10 million grand prize guaranteed.

Rory McIlroy

If Bethpage Black was playing as it did when it hosted the 2009 U.S. Open, McIlroy may have run away with The Barclays last week.

That wasn't the case. The greens and the course were completely dried out, as if the players were putting on a tabletop.

The harsh conditions outweighed the benefit of the course's mostly flat greens where a lot of putts can be made.

As a result, McIlroy wasn't much of a factor. Otherwise, the course would have best suited his long, high-hitting style.

The course that actually best suits McIlroy's game, though, comes this week at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Known for yielding a ton of birdies, the TPC Boston has played host to very low scores in the past. Webb Simpson won last year with a 15-under total, and Charley Hoffman was victorious at 22 under-par for the week in 2010.

McIlroy is best suited for courses when making a lot of birdies is the name of the game. That will be more true this week than any remaining in the FedEx Cup.

Tiger Woods

Last week, Tiger was in contention until a mysterious back ailment during the second round flared up on him. That resulted in a six over-par showing on the weekend.

The expectation was that Tiger would contend at The Barclays, since it took place at the venue where he won the 2002 U.S. Open.

2012 may not have yielded a major championship for Tiger, but he does rank first in scoring average, and finished the regular season atop the FedEx Cup standings.

Weekends have been spotty and it's simply a matter of whether Tiger is on or not on Saturday and Sunday.

With the opportunity at Bethpage gone, Tiger can look forward to the TOUR Championship.

There's pretty much no scenario in which Tiger doesn't make it to the final playoff event, assuming he still has a pulse.

Tiger has won at East Lake Golf Club twice, most recently to cap off his first FedEx Cup title.

Conditions on the course have toughened since his record 23-under-par aggregate score in 2007, but the familiarity of winning there multiple times gives Tiger an edge.

Luke Donald

Two top-three finishes in the Deutsche Bank Championship the past two years would appear to make this a pretty easy bet as to which course best suits Donald's eye.

Yes, he always seems to thrive at the TPC Boston, but Donald also finished fourth at last year's BMW Championship. He also finished tied for third in the TOUR Championship, and runner-up the year before.

This week's venue, however, edges out the other two.

The 34-year-old Englishman has spent much of the past year atop the world rankings, and has opted to rest considerably more lately.

It has been evident that Donald's schedule geared towards preparing himself for the PGA Tour playoffs and the subsequent Ryder Cup.

Donald took a month off between a missed cut at the U.S. Open and defending his title at the European Tour's Scottish Open.

After another disappointing showing in a major with a T34 at the PGA Championship, Donald responded with a Top 10 last week in New York.

The positive trend should continue for Donald at a course he clearly thrives on.

Sergio Garcia

There you go, Sergio.

In a 2012 campaign that has consisted largely of Garcia going through the motions, he suddenly broke out of his funk with a win at the Wyndham Championship.

To prove it wasn't a one-week wonder, Garcia followed it up with a tie for third at The Barclays.

The big difference for Garcia has been a newly-found confidence in his putter, the very club that has betrayed him his entire career.

Using a new claw-style grip, Garcia ranks 20th on Tour in strokes gained putting.

It was the ball-striking that was holding Garcia back all year, but with the Ryder Cup looming, the Spaniard has found a way to find the magic once again.

Considering he's been one of the best drivers of the ball on Tour for some time, Bethpage Black was the best course for him. It showed last week, as he played in the final group alongside winner Nick Watney.

Under extremely difficult conditions, Garcia still managed to hit the ball well. Ironically, the putter let him down on the weekend, but the greens were borderline unfair.

Bethpage was also the site of Garcia's second-best finish in the U.S. Open: a solo fourth-place showing back in 2002.

Even though the venue that best fits his game has passed, expect Garcia to remain squarely in the thick of the playoff mix.

Jason Dufner

Clearly not caring much for The Barclays, Dufner opted to use his leverage in the FedEx Cup standings to skip last week's event.

Not only had he missed the cut in three previous appearances, Dufner also needed the break to rest up, as 2012 will be his Ryder Cup debut.

Dufner dropped from second to sixth in the playoff standings, which is cause for no alarm at all. After all, what rattles this guy anyway?

Considering his ball-striking prowess, a course that yields a lot of birdies should make Dufner comfortable.

He put together an impressive four days in Boston back in 2009, finishing in a tie for second at 16-under.

This is the perfect week for Dufner to kick-start an end-of-the-year run at a course where he holds his best postseason finish.

Brandt Snedeker

Davis Love III is making his captain's picks for the Ryder Cup team this coming Tuesday, and Snedeker couldn't have asked for a much better venue just ahead of that fateful day.

Snedeker is certainly on the outside looking in, as he wound up 13th in the Team USA standings.

Here's the massive silver lining: a tie for fifth in 2010, and a tie for third in this very event last year. Another similar week would certainly make his case strong.

The stakes are as high as ever for the 2007 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, who is one of the most likeable guys on Tour and would certainly be a valuable asset at Medinah against the Europeans for his personality alone.

Not to mention, Snedeker is absolutely lights out with the flatstick, ranking first in strokes gained putting this season.

Sneds has battled through injuries for most of his career. To see him rewarded with a captain's pick would be a warming story.

TPC Boston may be just the place Snedeker needs to be to make his selection a reality.

Graeme McDowell

It's difficult to categorize McDowell, as this is his first legitimate run through the FedEx Cup.

In 2010, he was coming off his U.S. Open victory at Pebble Beach and was more focused on the Race to Dubai at that point, where he finished second to Martin Kaymer.

Last season was a down year for McDowell, but he came back with fervor this season. His results in the majors: T12 at The Masters, a tie for second at the U.S. Open, another top-five at the British Open and a T11 at the PGA Championship.

Not too shabby.

All that's missing in 2012 for McDowell is a trip to the winner's circle. He's more of a grinding player, likely to contend in world-class fields when par is the objective.

With that in mind, the FedEx Cup venues should suit McDowell better as they progress. Crooked Stick is the site for the BMW Championship this season, and birdies won't be as easy to come by.

Adjustments made to East Lake Golf Club have pushed the score to single digits under-par the past three years, so McDowell's game will likely translate best to the TOUR Championship.

McDowell also has a tendency to thrive when it matters most. If he finishes in the top-30 in the standings after the BMW, he'll punch his ticket to Atlanta and throw his hat in the ring for $10 million.

I personally like his chances as much as anyone's.

Bubba Watson

Bubba Golf hasn't translated very well to the FedEx Cup playoffs, as he has never really been a factor at the TOUR Championship.

Help could be on the way with a different venue for this year's third postseason event, though.

The course has been lengthened since, but John Daly won the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick, the same venue of the BMW Championship next week.

Watson has a similar style to Daly—extremely long, fearless, and with an underrated touch in his short game.

Daly remarked that all he liked to hit was a hard, high draw, and that Crooked Stick played into his hands in '91 because it set up nicely for that type of shot.

Similarly, Bubba loves to hit a power fade with that patented pink driver.

With his power and his Tour-leading 70.5 percent of greens hit in regulation, Watson should have a great week in Indiana as long as his putter cooperates.

Zach Johnson

The year has been good to Johnson, but after his second victory of 2012 at the John Deere Classic and a Top 10 at the British Open, it's been a bit of a rocky stretch.

Johnson ranks seventh in strokes gained putting, and is as capable as anyone of making a lot of birdies without overpowering golf courses.

In the 15 to 25-foot range is especially where Johnson does most of his damage with that SeeMore putter.

If he's his typical self from that range, he has a great chance to contend at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

That said, he loves East Lake Golf Club, and is all but guaranteed a spot in the TOUR Championship. Back in 2007, Johnson broke the course record with a 10 under-par round of 60. He went on to finish tied for second.

The course has been lengthened by nearly 200 yards since then, but having that kind of success there has to bode well for Johnson this year.

Lee Westwood

After falling out of contention on the final day of the U.S. Open, Westwood endured some of the worst golf he's played in recent memory.

A missed cut at the PGA Championship was the final straw. Westwood fired his swing coach Pete Cowen and his caddie Mike Waite shortly after, according to a report by GolfChannel.com's Ryan Lavner.

Two weeks later, a revamped No. 4 golfer in the world was back in action, finishing in a tie for fifth at The Barclays.

Having not been through the FedEx Cup playoffs before, Westwood has certainly gotten off to a wonderful start.

The U.S. Open-type venue that Bethpage Black is was not an easy one to enter under the pretense of such poor recent play, but it is these types of golf courses that Westwood thrives on.

Although he hasn't won a major, he has come close at many U.S. Opens, finishing in the top-10 five times. It makes sense that he played well at a course that has hosted two of them.

Nick Watney

Until his win at The Barclays, Watney had just been sort of hanging around on Tour this season. Three Top 10s, and 18 of 21 cuts made, but not much happening.

A trip to New York changed all that in a hurry. Suddenly, Watney finds himself atop the FedEx Cup standings, and in a position to salvage what had been a mostly forgettable year.

Last season, Watney finished atop the regular season standings, but fizzled in the final three playoff events. Perhaps the opposite is about to happen.

With no tangible success on any of the subsequent courses, it's fairly easy to choose TPC Boston as the one that best suits Watney's game.

Watney has been double digits under-par in all five of his PGA Tour victories, and last week served as a reminder of what can happen when he gets going.

As a pupil of renowned instructor Butch Harmon, Watney has built a wonderful swing, and it's hard to figure out why he hasn't had more success.

Putting is the key, but if Watney keeps striping it like he did at Bethpage, the putts won't be as stressful.

Retaining that aggressive, attacking mindset will translate to more birdies and a stellar showing for the second week in a row.

Dustin Johnson

It's been mostly up and down for DJ this season. He missed quite a bit of time in the beginning of the year due to injury, including The Masters in April.

Last week's tie for third at The Barclays was an admirable defense of his 2011 triumph, albeit on a totally different golf course.

Leading the field with an astounding 325.5-yard average with the driver, Johnson excelled in the tight, intimidating and long setup that was at Bethpage Black.

Crooked Stick seems like the best place for Johnson to make his mark, with its wide-openness and vulnerability to high-ball hitters like Johnson.

Johnson ranks 42nd on Tour in birdie average, and finishing in that neighborhood in the Deutsche Bank Championship field won't cut it, unless he plays virtually mistake-free golf.

The TOUR Championship has also given Johnson trouble the past few years, as he has never managed to finish inside the top-20.

Even a bad week in Boston shouldn't derail Johnson's chances of winning the FedEx Cup, but he'd certainly wish the two upcoming playoff events were switched. He is in the running for a Team USA captain's pick on the Ryder Cup team.

Losing out on that could lead to an unprecedented explosion of phenomenal golf for Johnson when he arrives in Carmel next week.

Steve Stricker

They don't call him "Mr. September" for nothing, because Stricker is a stud in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

A nagging neck problem forced him to withdraw from the BMW Championship last year. According to a report by ESPN's Bob Harig, it was the first competitive round of the FedEx Cup Stricker had ever missed.

Stricker will be bent on living up to his nickname this time around. He's virtually guaranteed a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup squad, but he must bounce back with a decent week after a T54 at The Barclays.

That shouldn't be a problem at TPC Boston, because Stricker is a fantastic putter, and also is one of the game's top iron players.

Improving on his current 10th place slot in the FedEx Cup standings is the goal this week, but Stricker should have bigger things in store.

He has plenty to draw on at this event, namely his dramatic one-stroke victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2009.

Justin Rose

His track record isn't superb at the TOUR Championship, but the venue seems like the type of ball-strikers' paradise that would fit Rose so well.

After seriously contending in last year's FedEx Cup thanks to a win at the BMW Championship, Rose faded to a tie for 20th at East Lake. Rose wound up in fifth in the final postseason standings.

The intensity will be in high gear with the Ryder Cup just around the corner, and Rose also had his best-ever performance in a major with a tie for third at the PGA Championship not long ago.

There are plenty of positives to channel for the No. 8 player in the world.

Improving on his 30 putts per round average at the 2011 event, along with his usual superb iron play, may be all Rose needs to have a shot at capturing the TOUR Championship.

Carl Pettersson

The likeable Swede has been completely hit-or-miss in 2012.

Five top-five finishes, including a win at the RBC Heritage are on the resume, but so are six missed cuts, and only three other finishes just inside the top-25.

Pettersson has had a mostly remarkable short game this season, ranking seventh in scrambling, and fifth in total putting.

That combination would serve East Lake well, but Pettersson can't hit the fairway to save his life. That is, comparatively speaking to his fellow professional counterparts. He's also 94th in greens in regulation percentage.

Since he is one of the longer hitters on Tour but tends to spray it a bit, Crooked Stick should give Pettersson enough room to operate.

Hitting short clubs to the green will make a big difference, and his phenomenal feel around the greens will keep him in the hunt all week.

Keegan Bradley

Not much needs to be said about the playoff course that will suit Bradley's game the best.

Bradley finished out his high school career in Boston, and this week's Detusche Bank Championship happens to take place at the Tournament Players Club course in that very city.

A New England boy through and through, Bradley will have the home crowd on his side.

Last year, Bradley had just won the 2011 PGA Championship and was dealing with that situation, meanwhile missing the cut at The Barclays and at this upcoming event.

There has to be some sort of redemption factor for Bradley to perform well in front of enthusiastic galleries that will be supporting him the whole way.

It's obvious that Bradley is one of the most intense, emotional players on the course based on his demeanor. If he gets hot and starts feeding off the crowd, it would be a special atmosphere to watch.

Ernie Els

Seemingly everyone wanted to count the Big Easy out after just one Top 10 on the PGA Tour in 2011.

A slew of top-five finishes gave Els hope, but he still couldn't get that breakthrough victory to silence the criticism.

At Royal Lytham, Els capitalized on the improbable implosion of Adam Scott, making just enough putts on the way in to snag his second Claret Jug as the British Open champion.

Truthfully, none of Els' stats in 2012 particularly stand out, but he has still managed a stroke average of just under 70, good for 23rd on Tour.

That shows Els is a wily veteran who simply knows how to get the ball in the hole.

Experience goes a long way in pressure-packed situations such as the FedEx Cup. In his past three outings in the TOUR Championship, Els hasn't finished outside the Top 10.

Without much fortune on the other three playoff courses, East Lake is the clear choice for Els.

Rickie Fowler

A hot putter last week kept Fowler hanging around the leaderboard despite poor iron play all week. Part of that was definitely due to the harsh greens.

Fowler did finish tied for seventh in driving accuracy last week on the narrow, long track. Hitting it straight off the tee and making putts is a good combination, but Fowler can't keep missing so many greens moving forward.

As one of the most exciting young players in American golf, some believe Fowler is a presumed captain's pick for Team USA in the Ryder Cup.

That shouldn't be the case, though, because he's struggled on the greens this season until recently, and hasn't shown very much good golf this summer after a nice run through the month of May.

Not getting a bid to the Ryder Cup might be what Fowler needs to kick himself into gear.

If that happens, the added significance to the end of his season, his driving accuracy and improved scrambling ability should translate well to East Lake Golf Club at the TOUR Championship.

There is still plenty for Fowler to prove, and I believe there are more deserving players of a Ryder Cup selection. Being in contention here would be a nice step in that direction, and Fowler's game is a great fit for the venue.

Hunter Mahan

One of the best all-around ball-strikers in the world, Mahan has lost his game as of late. A victory at the Shell Houston Open back in April marked his second victory of the season, but he's only had one Top 10 since then.

Two missed cuts in a row at the PGA Championship and The Barclays are his most recent showing, which isn't a good thing just ahead of the Ryder Cup.

After Mahan bested Rory McIlroy in the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play, it would seem unfathomable at the time to not put the American on the team.

On top of that, Mahan certainly wants a shot at redemption from losing the final singles match to Graeme McDowell in the 2010 event.

However, he probably won't get that chance unless he turns it around this week in Boston.

Bethpage Black comes to mind as a course that very much suits Mahan's game. He has above-average length off the tee, and his iron play is world-class.

As many players were, Mahan was befuddled by the unusually slick greens, registering 34 putts in the second round.

Mahan is sixth on Tour in greens in regulation percentage, and that should allow for plenty of birdie opportunities on the generous TPC Boston track this week.

At this point, Mahan just needs some confidence to draw on, and many of the stops he's made on Tour lately have been at extremely difficult golf courses.

Getting more red on that scorecard rather than scrounging for pars should give Mahan a Top 10 at the Deutsche Bank Championship, his first such finish in two months.

Whether that will be enough to sway Davis Love III to include him on Team USA is another story.

Adam Scott

Blowing a four-shot lead with four to play in the British Open isn't easy to bounce back from.

Since that colossal mishap in July, Scott hasn't been a disaster on the golf course, and has handled himself with class.

A respectable tie for 11th in difficult conditions at the PGA Championship in Kiawah Island got Scott back on track.

The Aussie may only be at No. 34 in the FedEx Cup standings, but he is still ranked in the top 10 of the world rankings.

As a player who has struggled on the greens—144th on Tour in strokes gained putting—Scott's best chance at playoff glory will come at East Lake Golf Club.

Scott won the TOUR Championship the year before the FedEx Cup playoffs were created, and having Stevie Williams on the bag doesn't hurt the cause either.

Of course, Scott has to squeak into the top-30 over the next two events to even be able to tee it up in Atlanta.

Matt Kuchar

Kuch missed his first cut of the year at the PGA Championship, and didn't have a very good week in New York last week to follow it up.

In the past, Kuchar has fared well at The Barclays, winning in 2010 and placing second last year.

The event hadn't been played at Bethpage Black, though, the site where Kuchar missed the cut at the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009.

It's been an uncharacteristically bad stretch of golf recently, but Kuchar is still one of the most consistent players on Tour and a steady bet to remain inside the top-30 for the next two weeks.

The only aspect of Kuchar's game that doesn't stack up to most other elite players is that he's not very long. He's also not one to pile up a ton of birdies as much as the other FedEx Cup contenders.

In that context, the course that best suits him is East Lake Golf Club. Ball placement is key, and it will be the shortest of the remaining courses.

That will all play into Kuchar's capable hands, and may lead to his second big-time win of the year on top of his victory at the PLAYERS Championship in May.

Webb Simpson

The most recent U.S. Open champion and his wife welcomed their second child into the world in late July.

On top of that, Simpson has had to deal with being a major champion for the first time, but he will be defending his 2011 title at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Simpson leads the Tour this season in birdie average, so it's easy to see how the low-scoring atmosphere of the TPC Boston suits his game.

By the end of the playoffs, Simpson will have played in six consecutive tournaments after some extensive time away from the game with his family.

It seems like he is still getting his competitive legs under him, with two missed cuts in his past three outings.

This week should bring out the best in Simpson, though, because the next two venues will yield slightly higher scores.

Bud Cauley

Cauley is making a strong case to push past John Huh for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, logging four Top 10s in his last five events,.

He stands only 5'7" and weighs just 150 pounds, but Cauley still manages around 292 yards off the tee.

At The Barclays, the 22-year-old American fired a bogey-free round of 67 on the final day, shooting him up the leaderboard 34 places and into a tie for 10th.

That sort of bounce-back ability shows that Cauley is playing with a lot of confidence at the moment. A solid all-around game has yielded great results as of late.

It's unclear whether Cauley is simply playing out of his mind and will come crashing to earth. What is certain is that he has plenty of game.

When ranking 33rd in greens in regulation, and 12th in scrambling, it's hard for much to go wrong.

The only big hole in Cauley's game as it currently stands is his driving accuracy. In his four recent Top 10 showings, he hasn't finished better than tied for 47th in the field.

When he figures out how to put the ball in the fairway more consistently, it will be interesting to see how he fares.

The most wide-open course is Crooked Stick, which would suit Cauley the best, and it is not particularly long, which wouldn't put him at a disadvantage there, either.

Louis Oosthuizen

With one of the best swings in golf, it's unwise to count out Oosthuizen anytime he tees it up.

His consistency has been spotty, but his game can be acclimated to nearly any course.

Oosthuizen ranks 15th in total driving and 20th in greens in regulation, and it showed up last week at The Barclays.

A steady week in which he led the field in GIR percentage at a staggering clip of 77.8 led to a tie for fifth for Oosthuizen.

If the greens weren't as out and slippery, Oosthuizen likely would have better capitalized on more birdie opportunities. It's easy to fathom that he could have won last week under slightly different circumstances.

Bethpage Black was the likeliest site to translate to victory for Oosthuizen, based on his skill set. If that putter gets hot, though, he could be a factor at any of the three remaining venues.

Bo Van Pelt

A dark horse for a Team USA Ryder Cup captain's pick, Van Pelt is on a mission to prove he belongs.

The Deutsche Bank Championship is more crucial for Van Pelt than ever, as Davis Love III will make his four selections on Tuesday.

It's hard to imagine a 37-year-old with just one career PGA Tour victory sneaking his way onto the Ryder Cup team, so Van Pelt likely needs a "W" this week to have any kind of chance.

What Van Pelt does have to point to is an incredibly balanced golf game, as he is second on Tour in all-around ranking, which factors in all major statistics.

With the ability to make a lot of birdies in a hurry, the TPC Boston course may be the best fit for Van Pelt's game, but he can adapt just about anywhere.

East Lake Golf Club is the choice for Van Pelt, where he finished ninth last year.

Especially if he doesn't have the Ryder Cup to look forward to after the FedExCup—likely the case—Van Pelt can grab his first win in three years on the biggest stage other than a major. This is somewhat similar to the scenario I mentioned with Rickie Fowler earlier.

Perhaps a win at the TOUR Championship could boost Van Pelt into a Vijay Singh-esque run in the last decade of his PGA Tour career. He may add a few more wins and even a major title to what should be a better career resume.