US players lead fight for US PGA playoff title

Americans Webb Simpson and Dustin Johnson have the best chance to take the $10 million US PGA playoff prize even if they do not win the season-ending Tour Championship that starts Thursday. The $1.4 million event features the top 30 players from a season points race trying to win a title with the big prize available to the overall points leader even if he does not manage to post the lowest score over 72 holes at East Lake. "It's hard not to think about where you stand and the money that comes with playing well," Simpson said. "It's hard. It'll be in the back of our minds all week. But the better we can try to focus on winning this tournament, it'll take care of itself." Englishmen Luke Donald and Justin Rose and Americans Simpson, Johnson and Matt Kuchar control their own fate in terms of the bonus. If they win the title they win the bonus as well, pocketing a total of $11.4 million. "This week the zeros definitely catch your attention," Johnson said. "There is a lot of money, definitely that's enough for you to think about, for sure. "I'm in a good position. All I need to do is win and I win everything, but it's tough. You're going to have to earn every bit of it." Kuchar could even finish second and become the first player to win the $10 million season playoff prize without winning an event all season. "It would be a strange feat. It certainly would be a fun one to talk about," Kuchar said. "I hope that's not the way it works out. Winning the whole thing, that's the way to do it. I'd like to do it that way." Simpson can win the title with a finish as low as 29th but even a top-five effort will give him a solid shot at the bonus money. Johnson can only finish as low as sixth and still have a chance at the king's ransom. Rose can win it from as low as fourth, World No. 1 Donald from third and Kuchar as a runner-up. Everyone else must win the tournament simply to have a chance, then have the leaders finish sufficiently far back to enable them to pass on total points. "This week is all about just putting yourself in position to win on Sunday. There's a lot at stake," Johnson said. Simpson, who became a father in February, won his first PGA title last month at Greensboro in the final event before the playoffs and then captured the second playoff tournament two weeks later at Boston to take the points lead. "To come in here being No. 1 is great. It's what we worked for all year and it's just exciting," Simpson said. "I'm kind of shaking my head looking back at this year. It's just crazy what can happen in a year." Tiger Woods has won the playoff crown twice with Fiji's Vijay Singh and 2010 winner Jim Furyk also having taken the big prize. Singh, 23rd in the points, is the only prior winner in the field this week. Brandt Snedeker ranks sixth on the points list followed by fellow Americans Nick Watney and Chez Reavie, Australian John Senden and Aussie Jason Day, the US Open and Masters runner-up. Other non-Americans with a chance at the playoff crown include South Koreans K.J. Choi and Yang Yong-Eun, Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson and Aussies Adam Scott, Aaron Baddeley and Geoff Ogilvy. "It's like beating your friend for $2 on the putting green. It's better to beat him for $2 than it is just to beat him for the fun of it," Ogilvy said. "Most guys out here have got a lot of money and it's not going to be a life-changer, but guys are going to be pretty happy. It makes a difference. "Tiger probably didn't even notice it going in his bank account."