FedEx Cup Standings 2013: Breaking Down Top Contenders Following the Barclays

Adam Scott's impressive performance to start the FedEx Cup playoffs at The Barclays this past weekend elevated him to No. 2 in the world rankings and second in the Cup standings heading to TPC Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship this week.

Scott's victory helped him make up some key ground on world No. 1 Tiger Woods in the Cup standings. Woods, who, according to Brendan Prunty of The Star-Ledger, battled through severe back pain to finish tied for second in Jersey City, holds a narrow lead over Scott and a handful of other familiar faces.

Here we'll break down the top FedEx Cup contenders with three more playoff events remaining in 2013.

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has said that 2013 can still be a successful season without a major victory, and the world's No. 1-ranked golfer may be on to something. After all, he's won five tournaments this year and boasts eight top-10 finishes after finishing tied for second at The Barclays this past weekend.

More importantly, the two-time FedEx Cup winner is currently in first place in the standings. 

Woods has earned more than $8.2 million this season and is the first player to 4,000 FedEx Cup points on the season. Unfortunately, he hasn't won one of the four FedEx Cup playoff tournaments since the 2009 BMW Championship.

Although his lead has taken a hit, he still has a 162-point edge over Barclays winner Adam Scott heading into the Deutsche Bank Championship this week at TPC Boston. Tiger finished third at the event a year ago and last won it in 2006.

Adam Scott

Like Woods, 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott has high hopes heading into the Deutsche Bank Championship this weekend. 

The 33-year-old Aussie is coming off his second tournament win of the year at The Barclays this past weekend and finished tied for seventh at TPC Boston a year ago. With the major monkey finally off his back, Scott has looked much more confident in the later rounds at recent tournaments over the past few months (finished third at the British Open and fifth at the PGA Championship) and appears set to challenge Woods for golf's top spot.

Scott, who won the Deutsche Bank title in 2003, has narrowed the gap behind Woods at the top of the standings and could surpass him with another stellar performance in the Northeast.

Phil Mickelson

2013 British Open champion Phil Mickelson is more than 1,000 points back of Woods and Scott heading to TPC Boston, but that doesn't mean Lefty should be counted out. 

He's won two FedEx Cup playoff tournaments since 2007 and has seven top-10 finishes this year in 18 tournament appearances. 

Mickelson shot a six-under 65 in the final round of play at The Barclays to finish tied for sixth, just two shots behind Scott. If he can keep that momentum going at the Deutsche Bank Championship, which he won in 2007, he can make up some ground and give himself a shot heading into the final two playoff tournaments. 

To put Lefty's season in proper perspective, it must be noted that Mickelson is the oldest player in the top 10 of the FedEx Cup standings and the only player 40 or older in the top 10.

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