FedEx Cup Standings 2014: Rankings, Top Contenders Ahead of Tour Championship
Just one tournament remains in the fight for the 2014 FedEx Cup, and a familiar name sits atop the standings. That player is none other than Chris Kirk, who retained the position for a second consecutive week.
Though he was unable to notch another win—or even a top-30 finish—Kirk is still the No. 1 player in the rankings. As for the man who won the BMW Championship, Billy Horschel is narrowly behind Kirk in second.
Several top names trail the recent winners, with major winners Bubba Watson and Rory McIlroy trailing the unlikely leaders. Hunter Mahan rounds out the top five with one win on the season.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Before the Tour Championship begins on Thursday in Atlanta, here's a look at the updated rankings and breakdown of the top contenders.
| 1 | Chris Kirk | 4314 |
| 2 | Billy Horschel | 4305 |
| 3 | Bubba Watson | 4058 |
| 4 | Rory McIlroy | 3735 |
| 5 | Hunter Mahan | 3363 |
| 6 | Jimmy Walker | 3073 |
| 7 | Jim Furyk | 3073 |
| 8 | Matt Kuchar | 2736 |
| 9 | Rickie Fowler | 2631 |
| 10 | Jason Day | 2549 |
*Full standings can be found at PGATour.com.
Top Contenders for Tour Championship
After another surprising winner at the BMW Championship, yet another contender has emerged for the title. Horschel's triumph in Colorado helped him jump up the leaderboard from 20th to second ahead of the final tournament.
The final total of 14-under was good for both a victory and a huge rise in the rankings. It also brought on a great celebration from Horschel, as the PGA Tour notes:
Horschel is clearly a shocking name near the top of the leaderboard, but so is the player ahead of him. Following a victory in Boston, Kirk remains the No. 1 player in the rankings, but he is barely holding on to the lead.
Even with the great play recently for both, it didn't translate into Ryder Cup bids for either player. Tim Bisel of The Topeka Capital-Journal notes the strange occurrence for the two players:
Despite missing out on making the United States team, there is still plenty to play for with just a week remaining.
Kirk heads back to Georgia with one goal on his mind: winning the Tour Championship in his own backyard. The golfer attended the University of Georgia and was born in Atlanta, but apparently he isn't overly familiar at East Lake.
Sean Martin of PGATour.com provides some background on the golfer:
As for the man who has been near the top of the running all season, McIlroy had a disappointing finish at the BMW Championship. Though it was a top-10 result, the world No. 1 fell two spots in the FedEx Cup standings.
A huge part of the problem was his shortcomings in the putting game. Kelly Tilghman of Golf Channel notes McIlroy's response to the poor putting:
Along with Watson and Mahan, McIlroy will certainly be a contender to watch in the final tournament of the playoffs. But with each player looking to take down Kirk and Horschel, they will need consistent performances yet again in Atlanta.
As the standings tighten up, any of the players inside the top five can emerge with the overall title. There's also a difference of $7 million between first and second, so expect every player to be on top of his game at the Tour Championship.
Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
