Mel Evans/Associated Press Bryson DeChambeau mastered the Northern Trust Tournament in the first round of the playoffs and moved into the No. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings. DeChambeau fired an 18-under-par 266 during the four rounds at the Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey, and won the tournament by four strokes over Tony Finau on Sunday. The win was the third for DeChambeau in the last 13 months, and he withstood the pressure of playing with the lead in the final round without a hint of a problem. DeChambeau fired a two-under 69 in the final round that included two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine. At one point, his lead was down to two shots, but DeChambeau steadied himself and fired a two-under 34 on the back nine. The 24-year-old DeChambeau told CBS interviewer Amanda Balionis that he felt his game was under control throughout the four rounds. "To be able to hold the lead and keep the lead was great," DeChambeau said. "It got a little tight in the middle of the round, but I was able to keep going. It's about consistency from this point forward. If I can hit the ball the way I did this week, I should be OK for the rest of the playoffs." DeChambeau moved ahead of Dustin Johnson, who had been in first place in the FedEx Cup rankings prior to the start of the tournament. Justin Thomas follows in third place. Video Play Button Videos you might like FedEx Cup Standings (per PGATour.com) Rank, player, points behind 1. Bryson DeChambeau, -- 2. Dustin Johnson, -648 3. Justin Thomas, -663 4. Tony Finau, -908 5. Brooks Koepka, -1,285 6. Justin Rose, -1,626 7. Bubba Watson, -1,660 8. Jason Day, -1,682 9. Webb Simpson, -1,798 10. Phil Mickelson, -1,867 The Northern Trust serves as the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs. The second round is the Dell Technologies Championship that will be contested at TPC Boston starting Aug. 31. That tournament has a unique Friday through Monday schedule to coincide with Labor Day. The top 100 players in the FedEx Cup standings are eligible to compete in the Dell Technologies Championship. The BMW Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, follows and the Tour Championship will be played in Atlanta to conclude the 2017-18 season. The top 70 FedEx players get to compete in the BMW Championship, while the Tour Championship is open to the top 30 players. Tiger Woods struggled with his putter through all four rounds of the Northern Trust Tournament. He finished the tournament with a score of four-under-par 280, and he tied for 40th. Woods ranks 25th in FedEx Cup points after starting the week ranked 20th. Brian Stuard and Jason Duffner are in the 99th and 100th positions and therefore eligible to compete at TPC Boston. They both are 3,060 FedEx Cup points behind DeChambeau. On the other hand, Sam Ryder and Trey Mullinax are 101st and 102nd, and on the outside looking in. Ryder is 3,066 points behind, while Mullinax is 3,067 points behind.<doc-sep>The FedEx Cup Playoffs start this week as the top 125 point-earners on the PGA Tour this season battle for a grand total of $67 million over the following month. That's a lot of money, and what we're about to experience is a lot of golf. So let's start at the top with an overview of how the FedEx Cup works and then take a look at who stands to gain the most and a few predictions for the 2018 edition of this event. Schedule The Northern Trust field is the top 125 in the points race, but that gets cut to 100 before Boston. After that, the BMW Championship field is reduced to 70 before splitting again to 30 for East Lake. The Northern Trust -- Ridgewood Country Club: Aug. 23-26 Dell Technologies Championship -- TPC Boston: Aug. 31 - Sept. 3 BMW Championship -- Aronimink Golf Club: Sept. 6-9 Tour Championship -- East Lake Golf Club: Sept. 20-23 Purse Structure Each tournament functions with its own normal PGA Tour purse, but the big money gets distributed at the end. After players collect points in the first three playoff events to add to their current season-long totals, the points are reset before the Tour Championship. The top five at that point will be able to win the FedEx Cup (and $10 million first prize) by winning the Tour Championship, but everyone else will need help based on where various competitors finish. Last year Xander Schauffele won the Tour Championship, but Justin Thomas took the FedEx Cup because Schauffele wasn't high enough going into the finale to overtake him for first place. 1st place: $10 million 2nd place: $3 million 3rd place: $2 million 4th place: $1.5 million 5th place: $1 million Eventual Champion It helps to start out in the top 10 or 20 going into the playoffs, but it's not imperative to winning the eventual championship and prize money. Here's a look at all the former winners and where they started going into playoff event No. 1. 2017: Justin Thomas (2nd) 2016: Rory McIlroy (36th) (36th) 2015: Jordan Spieth (1st) 2014: Billy Horschel (69th) 2013: Henrik Stenson (9th) (9th) 2012: Brandt Snedeker (19th) 2011: Bill Haas (15th) 2010: Jim Furyk (3rd) 2009: Tiger Woods (1st) (1st) 2008: Vijay Singh (7th) (7th) 2007: Tiger Woods (1st) Current top 10 As for where players are positioned going into the playoffs, the list probably won't surprise, although Bryson DeChambeau making an appearance might. Johnson is the overall favorite to win at 6-1, but Thomas (who won last year) is right behind him at 8-1. Koepka is 10-1, and then Rose, Woods and McIlroy are all 12-1. Stat that sticks out How about this one? Andrew Putnam (No. 35), Chez Reavie (36), Ryan Armour (37) and Beau Hossler (42) are all ranked ahead of former FedEx Cup champ Jordan Spieth, who is currently No. 43. I know this hasn't been Spieth's best year, but he also nearly won two major championships. Finding him outside the top 40 stunned me. Tiger Watch Tiger Woods goes into the playoffs ranked No. 20 in the FedEx Cup race. It's actually historically not that great for him, but considering where he was a year ago, it's astonishing. Woods hasn't even made the playoffs since 2013 when he went in ranked No. 1 and finished No. 2 to Stenson. He'll presumably play every event if he makes it all the way to the Tour Championship, which means five events (including the Ryder Cup) in six weeks for Big Cat. That's a lot of golf, but he seems ready for it. Most to gain When $10 million is at stake, everyone has a lot to gain, but a few players stick out. Jordan Spieth: He can salvage a poor season with his second FedEx Cup in four years. He can salvage a poor season with his second FedEx Cup in four years. Rory McIlroy: See above. He hasn't been as relatively down as Spieth given that he actually won an event, but he can flip an average McIlroy year into something special with a couple of playoff Ws, another FedEx Cup and a potential European victory in Paris. See above. He hasn't been as relatively down as Spieth given that he actually won an event, but he can flip an average McIlroy year into something special with a couple of playoff Ws, another FedEx Cup and a potential European victory in Paris. Xander Schauffele: Finished on the fringe of the Ryder Cup automatic qualifiers, and last year's Tour Championship winner is much better positioned to take home an even bigger prize this year. Finished on the fringe of the Ryder Cup automatic qualifiers, and last year's Tour Championship winner is much better positioned to take home an even bigger prize this year. Brandt Snedeker: If you're looking for somebody to make a "Billy Horschel in 2014" run, this is your guy. After shooting 59 at the Wyndham Championship en route to the ninth win of his career, Snedeker moved from No. 80 to No. 30 in the standings. What if he reels off another victory at one of the first three events and forces Jim Furyk's hand when it comes to Ryder Cup selections? There's a lot on the table over the next few weeks for Snedeker. Most to lose If the Ryder Cup captain's picks had to be made today, Jim Furyk would likely select Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau. The only player in those four I could see playing his way out of that is DeChambeau. It's not been the greatest month for the Memorial champ, but he can solidify his spot on the team (three picks will be made Sept. 3 and another one on Sept. 9) with a strong first few playoff events. That also means, theoretically, that he could lose it, too. Predictions Thoroughbreds only at East Lake, please. Look back at the last three winners of the FedEx Cup. I think we sometimes deride it for being contrived, incomprehensible and maybe even a little hokey, but Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth consecutively as your champs is no joke. Three generationally great players, and I think we get another one this year. I'm taking Koepka to add to an odd resume that includes three majors and just one other win. He sits at No. 3 in the FedEx Cup rankings going into the first playoff event so he won't need to do a lot over the first three events to be positioned nicely for East Lake. Koepka probably already has PGA Tour Player of the Year locked up, but I think he continues a recent trend of players winning the FedEx Cup following a season in which they also won a major (Thomas and Spieth).<doc-sep>
Charlie Riedel/Associated Press While some golf fans are still hung up on Tiger Woods' chase for the PGA Championship, the golf world has put the final major of the season firmly in the past. The Northern Trust, which begins Thursday, marks the start of the four-week FedEx Cup playoffs. The opening tournament of the FedEx Cup features a 125-strong field, which will be cut to the top 100 points leaders for the Dell Technologies Championship. Seventy golfers advance to the penultimate leg of the competition, the BMW Championship, and the top 30 players on points are eligible for the Tour Championship. Dustin Johnson leads the FedEx Cup standings, while defending champion Justin Thomas is 83 points behind in second. Below is a closer look at which golfers are in the best position to capture the crown and how the FedEx Cup points system works. Standings Video Play Button Videos you might like 1. Dustin Johnson (2,717 points) 2. Justin Thomas (2,634) 3. Brooks Koepka (2,012) 4. Justin Rose (1,991) 5. Bubba Watson (1,879) 6. Jason Day (1,771) 7. Webb Simpson (1,710) 8. Francesco Molinari (1,682) 9. Bryson DeChambeau (1,617) 10. Patrick Reed (1,555) 11. Phil Mickelson (1,546) 12. Tony Finau (1,509) 13. Jon Rahm (1,430) 14. Patrick Cantlay (1,388) 15. Patton Kizzire (1,386) Full standings can be found on PGATour.com. Points Distribution Each of the participants in the FedEx Cup begins the competition by keeping the number of points he earned throughout the PGA Tour regular season. The point totals continue to accumulate during the first three tournaments of the postseason before they are reset ahead of the Tour Championship. The champion of each of the first three FedEx Cup events receives 2,000 points, while second place collects 1,200 points. As you go further down the leaderboard, the allotted point totals diminish, with 85th place receiving six points, which is the fewest awarded at a single event, per PGATour.com. The 2,000-point rewards for winning The Northern Trust, Dell Technologies Championship or BMW Championship could alter the course of the playoffs, especially if a higher-ranked player comes away with a victory. While winning is obviously the main goal, the other target for the golfers is to rack up as many points as possible ahead of the Tour Championship. When the event at East Lake Country Club rolls around September 20, the point totals are reseeded, with the No. 1 player assigned 2,000 points, the No. 2 player holding 1,800 points and so on. The 30th-placed player in the FedEx Cup receives a new total of 115 points ahead of the Tour Championship, which is done in order to give each of the 30 players the opportunity to win the FedEx Cup with a victory at East Lake. Even though the Tour Championship winner receives 2,000 points, it doesn't guarantee him the FedEx Cup. For example, Thomas entered the final event of the playoffs in second place a year ago, and a second-place finish at East Lake was enough to secure the overall prize. To simplify the process, the points system rewards consistency, and if a golfer places in the top five or 10 at each event, there's a good chance he will finish at the top of the FedEx Cup standings. The first three events allow golfers to work with a bit of a buffer and land in the top 30, but once the Tour Championship rolls around, a high finish is required to be in the mix for the overall prize. Information obtained from PGATour.com. Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.