Harrington targets FedEx bonanza

By Brian Keogh

Padraig Harrington hopes he can hit a hot streak and snatch the megabucks $10 million FedEx Cup jackpot.

The jaded Dubliner is taking this week off to bring his son Patrick on holiday to Disney World in Orlando.

But he is convinced that with his batteries recharged, he has a chance of winning two of the four play-off events and and grabbing the most fantastic prize in golfing history.

He said: "The play-offs would certainly give someone like me a chance of winning. But I need to get hot for four weeks and go out and win two of the events.

"To win the US money list under the old system, you'd nearly have to win eight times, which is not going to happen. So there are a number of players who think that this play-off system gives them a shout of winning.

"I don't mind four events in a row. It is not the end of the world. But I think under the circumstances, with all that has gone on over the last few weeks for me, I won't be going into them as fresh and strong as I would for other events."

Under the FedEx Cup system, the top 144 players on the PGA Tour money list on Sunday next will qualify for the first of four play-off events.

The fields are then reduced on a weekly basis with the top 120 points leaders going to the Deutsche Bank Championship and the top 70 making the BMW Championship.

After that, only the top 30 points leaders will qualify for the Tour Championship in Atlanta from September 13-16.

The player with the most points after Tour Championship will win the FedEx Cup and $10 million of a $35 million bonus fund.

The runner-up gets $3 million, third place $2 million, fourth place $1.5 million and fifth place $1 million.

The regular season points are reset after this week's Wyndham Championship and Harrington is likely to trail leader Tiger Woods by just 5,250 points.

With 50,000 points for the winner of each of the first three play-off events, Harrington could leap to No 1 in the FedEx Cup rankings if he wins the Barclays at Westchester.

Drained after his Open win and US PGA roasting, Harrington is looking forward to getting back to New York where he won two years ago.

That time, he edged out Jim Furyk by a shot when he holed an outrageous 66-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole.

Play-off dates

Aug 23-26 The Barclays. Top 144 Points leaders qualify

Aug 31-Sept 3 Deutsche Bank Championship. Top 120

Sept 6-9 BMW Championship. Top 70 Points

Sept 13-16 The Tour Championship. Top 30.